


Need Me Too

by Pulping



Category: RWBY
Genre: (But actually though), And plot too, Blood, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Magic, Romance, Sex, Sugar, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 10:23:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 56,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2769521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pulping/pseuds/Pulping
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something's wrong with Yang, as Blake wakes to discover, and now it's the Faunus's turn to comfort the brawler when she's in pain. But what are the implications? Was it really just a dream? Or something more...(IT'S BACK. New chapters and rewrites of old ones)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strange Things Happen in the Nighttime (Redux)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time writing...anything really, other than crap for school projects and such. Reviews are pretty much needed, as long as you're not going to be a total dick about it (moderate dick is acceptable). This one's set soon after the end of volume 2, so I guess it would technically be post-canon until the show starts back up. (There is debate as to whether the post-credits scene was a dream or not, but for the purposes of this story, let's just say it was).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first time writing...anything really, other than crap for school projects and such. Reviews are pretty much needed, as long as you're not going to be a total dick about it (moderate dick is acceptable). This one's basically a Bumblebee fluff piece, set soon after the end of volume 2, so I guess it would technically be post-canon until the show starts back up. (There is debate as to whether the post-credits scene was a dream or not, but for the purposes of this story, let's just say it was).
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> For this chapter I mainly added some descriptive elements and fixed the pacing in some places and set it up better for the next chapter (cause honestly I had noooooo idea wtf I was doing).
> 
> Also took out that awful line about a "massage for the heart," it still gives me nightmares. (See what I did there? It's relevant)

"Who are you?"

Blake's sensitive ears pricked at the soft question, spoken to the darkness, and her eyes slowly crept open. Trying to locate its source while still lost in sleep herself, she sat up slowly, so as to not wake her teammates.

 _She groaned silently._ _What time is it?_ Her mind somehow managed to form coherent thought through a haze of unconsciousness.

Upon glancing at the alarm clock on her windowsill, the unwelcome light of red neon bored the numbers 2:07 into her skull. A twinge of annoyance shot through her at having been woken at such an ungodly hour and she flopped back down, trying to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

_I must have either imagined it, or dreamt it. Nothing to worry about._

_Grimacing, Blake recalled how every now and then, when she gave in to sleep, she_  would find herself, once more, on a train speeding through a sea of crimson. She would watch as the man she had once followed laughed, finding ecstasy in destruction, delighting in the chaos he caused. She would see the look of betrayal on his face as she left, and would once again feel the sting of absolute solitude.

These dreams had plagued the girl ever since she had departed her old life.

A soft groan pulled her from the demons – or  _the_ _demon_  – of her past, and back to reality, and she quickly realized that it definitely had not been a dream. The sounds which had woken her had come from directly above.

_Yang_

Blake, along with the rest of her teammates had long known that Yang was prone to talking in her sleep, as they'd shared this room for several months now. Ruby was unsurprisingly unaffected by this tendency, having clearly grown used to it long before she had arrived at Beacon. However, where Weiss – true to form – took great exception to this disturbance, to Blake, there was something comforting in being able to fall asleep to the soft voice of her partner, and she secretly relished the opportunity whenever it presented itself.

But this time, Blake knew something was wrong. The customary whispers and occasional giggling had been replaced by groans and desperate questions.

"Who are you?"

"What do you want?"

Blake slipped her bare feet onto the floor and stood slowly, concern etched into her pale face. Hoisting herself up to Yang's level, she saw how the normally beautiful and peaceful face was scrunched up as if in pain, dark lines forming around her eyebrows and mouth. Immediately, she began shaking the blonde's shoulder, desperate to save the girl from whatever unseen beast it was that troubled her.

"Yang", she whispered gently into her partner's ear, "Yang, please wake up".

It worried her. This wasn't like Yang. She was normally so at ease, so confident, so strong. It hurt to see the fierce, courageous girl looking this helpless.

Yang inhaled sharply as her eyes popped open, and Blake could see a glaze of scarlet.

_It must have been pretty bad for her eyes to change colour in her sleep..._ _Was the first thought that came to mind for the young Faunus._

Relieved that she was finally awake, Blake smiled tenderly at the girl, cupping her cheek unconsciously.

"Blake? What are you doing?" Yang did not seem to have noticed the unusually intimate touch.

"I was worried about you. Bad dream?" The blonde shifted slightly, almost as if nuzzling into the hand that still lay on her cheek. Blake rapidly drew her hand away in embarrassment, a gesture which also seemed to go unnoticed, to Blake's relief.

"Well it wasn't full of puppies and rainbows, that's for sure." Yang tried to joke.

Blake rolled her eyes. It was so like Yang to immediately play it off as if it were nothing, but raven-haired girl knew better.

"Tell me."

"Blake, it was nothing, I'm fi-" Blake cut the blonde off as she jumped up to Yang's bunk, sitting cross-legged in front of her.

"No, you're not, I've never seen you like this Yang, you scared me a little back there. And I still owe you for...well, a lot of things. Just please, tell me what's wrong." _I need to help you Yang, why can't you see that?_

Yang sat up, inviting Blake to lean against the headboard with her. "Alright Blakey, if you insist," she said, trying to sound playful in order to ease Blake's concern, though the Faunus didn't buy it. "But I'm going to have to give you some context first."

Yang proceeded to recount her experience on the White Fang's train. How she had fought Neo: "that multicoloured bitch," – as Yang was fond of calling her. How she had been beaten badly and left completely at Neo's mercy. How she had awoken to see a mysterious woman dressed in red, just as she vanished into thin air, with Neo nowhere to be found.

 _That woman must have chased Neo off._ As confused as she was, Blake couldn't help but feel grateful towards the stranger, and a _chill washed over her_  as she realized what might have happened if the woman in red had not appeared.

_If I had lost her..._

Yang Xiao Long had been Blake's best friend since they'd met, and her first real friend in far longer than Blake would like to remember. She trusted Yang with her life as a partner and knew that the feeling was mutual, a sentiment for which she couldn't begin to express her gratitude. But even so, over the past few weeks as fresh ordeals had pushed the two closer than ever, a new, nagging feeling had surfaced and decided to come along for the ride. Up until that moment, Blake had never considered the possibility that she might have feelings for this hot-headed beauty.  _Oh how time changes us..._

She was brought back to reality as the brawler rested her blonde head on Blake's shoulder, as if she could sense her partner's change in mood, and wanted to assure her that she was still there. Despite her best efforts, the Faunus couldn't suppress a slight blush at the sudden intimacy.

"But what does that woman have to do with your dream tonight?" she asked, still not seeing how it all fit together and eager to break the silence.

Yang sighed. "Well, in my dream it was the middle of the night, but I was wandering around outside. For some reason I felt drawn to the statue in the middle of campus, and when I got there she...she was waiting for me."

 _Okay, getting somewhere._ "And?" The Faunus gently prompted her teammate to continue.

"I asked her who she was. No answer, but then she took off her mask and..." Yang paused slightly before continuing with a breathy sentence. "She looked like me. Not exactly, and with black hair and red eyes, but still..."

Blake shook her head, trying to make sense of this.  _Strange,_ she thought,  _why would something like that cause her this much pain?_

But Yang wasn't finished. "She told me that we had a lot to talk about, but at that point I was getting frustrated, so I snapped at her to get to the point"

Blake smiled _. It seemed her partner was just as impatient in dreams as she was in reality._

"But then.." Blake heard Yang choke up as she tried to finish her story, so she wrapped an arm around her partner's shoulders and pulled her closer.

"She said...", Yang seemed to struggle with the words, so Blake gave her a squeeze, "What did she say?" she asked softly.

Yang exhaled slowly. "She said she was my mom, Blake."

The Faunus girl tried to process what Yang had said.  _Oh Yang..._

She looked down at her partner, who had a single tear rolling down her face as she finished. "I just stood there in shock, and next thing I knew, she disappeared. It was like she planned it all just to fuck with me!" Yang shook as frustration and grief surged through her.

It broke Blake's heart to know that the mother who had abandoned this girl as a child had come back to haunt her dreams as well. It was a feeling she knew all too well, and when she spoke, her voice was filled with sympathy.

"Yang, it was just a dream, everything's going to be okay." The words sounded hollow, even to herself, because she knew that everything was very much not okay. Years of pain and sorrow over a lost mother had all been dug up at once, and all that suffering had along come with them.

She wanted to help Yang. She  _had_ to help Yang. However, she knew that there was nothing she could say that might ease the girl's pain, so she did the only thing that came to mind, now that words had failed her.

She gently shifted her partner so that the blonde's head rested just below her chin, and started a low rumble deep in her chest, praying that the vibrations would prove therapeutic in some way. After a few seconds, Yang spoke.

"Blake?" The Faunus glanced down and met her partner's eyes, relieved to find that they had returned to their natural violet colour.

"Are you purring?"

 _Not quite what I was expecting, but then again, nothing ever is with this girl. Maybe that's why I...shit._ _Rather than continue with that train of thought, she smiled sheepishly._ "It was the first thing that came to mind."

"Blake, that's so adorable!" Yang's tone had lost some of the strain that had built up as she told her story.  _Well if I'd known it would be that simple to take her mind off of things..._ _T_ he Faunus xouldn't help but feel slightly exasperated with the girl in her arms, but it would not last.

"Don't stop." The undertone of need in the request took Blake off guard, and any annoyance she may have felt vanished instantly.

So she didn't stop, she held Yang close, hoping that her meagre attempt at comfort would be enough sooth the troubled girl. To her relief, Yang's breathing slowly became more steady, and her body ceased its occasional trembling. She noticed her partner looking up at her, and as their eyes met once again, Blake saw something in the deep, violet orbs that she had never seen before. Her breath hitched.

_Fuck it, I'm probably going to hell anyway._

"I'm going to try something." Now it was Blake's voice that trembled. "Blake, what are you..."

The blonde girl trailed off as Blake reached down, and her eyes widened as she realized what the Faunus was about to do, but she did not shy away. After what seemed like an eternity, their lips met, and Blake's heart soared.

The kiss was soft and tentative, neither girl entirely sure how to react to this new-found contact, and though Blake may have secretly dreamt, hoped for this moment, her mind went blank, and all that mattered was the girl in her arms.

Suddenly, something clicked between them, and trepidation gave way to passion as the kiss deepened, starting a sensuous dance as Blake tried to pour everything she hadn't been able to say into her partner's lips.

As if in answer to the silent plea, the blonde wrapped her arms around Blake's neck, pulling the girl even closer as she tugged at her bottom lip, requesting access. As the kiss deepened even further, and they began to explore one-anothers mouths, acquainting themselves with the taste and feel, something primal stirred in Blake's core.

Growling slightly, she flipped Yang onto her back, taking a more dominant role as the lust began to bubble. The blonde yelped quietly, surprised at how forward the Faunus was being and not entirely sure how to react. Being the less introsepective of the two, Yang was still unsure how she felt about the recent deepening of their relationship, but it seemed that Blake was more than willing to take the next step. That being said, Yang wasn't taking issue with it.

She had noticed her feline partner's hands starting to wander, but couldn't suppress the loud gasp as Blake groped her left breast. Immediately clapping a hand over her own mouth, the brawler hoped beyond hope, but the damage was done.

"COOKIES!" A loud cry rang out as their young leader shot up, woken by her teammates'...activities.

Blake dove under the covers as Ruby started to turn to face her, not really in the mood to explain why exactly she was groping the girl's older sister.

"I thought I heard something, what's going on?" Ruby said, rubbing her eyes.

"It's nothing Ruby, probably just a dream," came the reassuring voice of the older sibling. _The irony of that staement was not lost on Blake._ "Go back to sleep."

Ruby let out a soft yawn. "Okay. Goodnight Yang." The pair breathed a collective sigh of relief as their leader lay back down and almost immediately fell back asleep.

"Well," the blonde began, "That was a thi-"

"Don't say it" Blake sighed. _A creeping feeling of embarassment had begun to boil in her gut, she had taken things way too far, and it was unfair to Yang._

She started to jump back down to her own bunk, hiding her eyes in shame, but stopped as she felt a hand on her wrist.

"Stay with me, please" That pleading tone was back, something that Blake couldn't refuse, so she turned back and was met with the beautiful but unreadable face of her partner.

"Yeah, okay."

She lay back down next to Yang, cheeks still red and head still spinning as she silently biraded herself.

"Thank you Blake", came the soft whisper.

_Well she doesn't seem to be mad or confused. I guess we'll have to talk about it in the morning..._

Those were Blake's last thoughts before she fell into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any tips, ideas, criticisms (constructive if at all possible), or if you just want to comment on what you liked/didn't like, don't hesitate to leave a review!


	2. The Morning After (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REWRITE:
> 
> Not a whole lot in this one, just a few minor changes to pacing as well as a slightly more believable take on one scene.

Blake awoke to sunlight pouring through the window, the warmth teasing her more cat-like instincts as she absorbed its glow.  _Must be pretty late in the morning,_ _s_ he thought hazily, but she quickly realized something was off, and it was then that she noticed that she wasn't in her own bunk.

 _I'm in Yang's bed._ She blushed as memories of the night before flooded back to her: How she had comforted her teammate. How she had kissed her,  _w_ _hy did I kiss her like that?_ _She remembered Yang's look of surprise as she'd kissed back,_  remembered how badly how Blake had wanted her. She remembered the interruption from Ruby, something that could only be seen as a blessing in hindsight. Then how they had fallen asleep, barely a word exchanged between them, with the promise of talking it over in the morning. But now Yang was nowhere to be found, and Blake began to worry.

It wasn't like the blonde to wake up this early on a Saturday, especially with her plan to "sleep forever".  _So where is she? Why did she leave without saying anything? Last night she was so...damn it._ Blake began to feel a hard pit of shame building up once more in her stomach.  _Why didn't_ _I_ _say something? I went from comforting her to...well...maybe she wasn't ready for something so sudden._

More creeping doubts wormed their way into her head as she sat up and jumped down to her own bunk, growing more uncertain by the second.  _I chased her away, I took advantage of her emotional weakness and now she can't even face me._ _Her throat tightened at_  the idea that she might have pushed this girl away, this girl that meant so much more to her than mere friendship. Blake slumped down onto her bed, head in her hands.  _I'm such a fool, what the hell was I thinking?_

"Blake? Is something wrong?"

She hadn't noticed the heiress come in. _Great, just what I need right now. Why couldn't you be Yang?_

"It's nothing, I just...I don't want to talk about it." As if she ever wanted to talk about anything, but all the same, if there was ever a time that Blake truly needed to be alone with her thoughts, it was now.

"Blake Belladonna you are such an idiot." Weiss's tone hardened slightly, and Blake was unwillingly forced to meet her eyes, surprised by the sudden change. "Have you forgotten already? You  _promised_ that if something was troubling you, you would tell us, and since I frankly don't have the energy to shock you with another chair stunt, you're just going to have to spill it. Now."

Blake let out a heavy sigh.  _In truth she wasn't entirely unhappy with being forced to share her feelings, because this something for which she was woefully unprepared._

Her voice hollow and empty, she began. "It's Yang, I did something I maybe shouldn't have...I might have taken advantage of her when she was in a fragile place...and it's not like her to be gone in the morning like this...I think I chased her away, Weiss." Her eyes teared up again as the regret hit her anew.

The heiress rolled her eyes, almost audibly. "That's nonsense."

Blake's ears pricked. "Wha...what do you mean?"

"You seriously believe that  _anything_ you could do would chase her away that easily? This is  _Yang_  we're talking about, she's your partner, she'd do anything for you and I know you'd do anything for her too." The gentleness in the ice queen's voice came as a surprise to Blake.  _I guess Ruby must have softened her up a little._ But no matter how kind the girl's words may be, it didn't change the facts.

"But, why would she leave me like that? Without saying anything?" Frustration building as her mind failed to come up with an answer.

"You're over-thinking it Blake, you always do this to yourself. Just. Go. Talk. To. Her." The heiress placed emphasis on each word, as if trying to instruct a particularly stubborn child. "I'm sure that this is all just a misunderstanding, and I refuse to let  _our_ team fall apart because of  _your_ insecurity." Her customary bossy tone came back as she finished, making no effort to hide how annoyed she was with the Faunus.

Blake exhaled slowly, shuddering slightly as she did so. "Yeah, you're right," she said, taking a deep breath in an effort to regain control of herself. The heiress offered her a rare smile, which Blake returned before racing out the door.

* * *

Blake had no idea how long she ran. She had spent the morning sprinting all around the school, checking every room, every courtyard, every corner where someone might go to hide. She checked the dining hall first, hoping to find Yang in her favourite room, surrounded by food. She checked the library _, despite the fact that_  it seemed like the last place her partner would  _ever_ go. She checked the training arena, thinking Yang might be venting whatever unknown emotion she felt through hard exercise. But after hours of searching, all her efforts were fruitless, as it seemed the girl was no longer on campus at all.

As Blake slumped, breathless, against a tree, her eyes wandered to the cliffs where their initiation had begun. She remembered when she had met Yang in the forest, and how they had been bound together by what Blake was hesitant to call fate. She hated the concept of not being in control of her own life, but at that moment, she was grateful for whatever force may have seen fit to bring her and Yang together.  _You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm going to make sure to tell you this time._ She stood up, her energy restored.

She knew where Yang was.

* * *

A slight breeze kicked up as Blake made her way through the Emerald Forest, sending shivers down her spine to join the trembling that was already present for an entirely different reason.  _I don't remember it being this deep in the forest._

A strange smell caught her attention as she made her way deeper into the curtains of green, and as she entered a large clearing, what she saw drew a gasp.

_Wow, that's a_ _lot_ _of dead Grimm._

The ground was littered with corpses, at least twenty, maybe thirty. Mostly younger beowolves and ursa minors, all bearing the familiar scorch marks that Blake knew so well.

 _Well, I guess I'm on the right track._ But now that she had seen her partner's handiwork, she couldn't help but feel slightly afraid. Could it be possible that Yang was angry with her for what she'd done? Blake pushed the thought from her mind.

Picking her way through the bodies, some already beginning to evaporate, she noticed a familiar hill in the distance.

* * *

As she crested the hill, she could finally see her destination. The crumbling stone walls stood, with small pedestals arranged in a semi-circle, their relics long since claimed. But she could also see a small speck of yellow, like a spark against the grey background.

Her partner was lounging against the far wall. She had a few leaves in her hands, and was using her aura to slowly turn them to ash.

 _Well, here we go_ _._ Blake slowly approached the blonde beauty, the knot in her stomach tightening with every step.

"Yang?" Her voice dripping with apprehension.

The brawler turned to her partner, offering a weak smile. "Hey Blake."

"Extermination duty?" She hoped that her weak attempt at humour would serve to ease the tension. It didn't.

"Meh, they got in my way. It's not like anyone will miss th-"

"I'm sorry." Blake interrupted her partner.

Yang's brow furrowed. "Sorry for what, Blakey?"

"What I'm trying to say is that...I don't know what happened last night but I'm sorry about it and I just need to hear what you have to say about it." Blake shifted awkwardly.

"Huh?" Yang's voice still incredulous.

"Last night, what did it mean? I kissed you, and you kissed me back but then you just left without even saying anything?" Her voice raising slightly, a rarity for the normally measured girl.

"Blake, I'm sorry I just...I needed to think." Yang was standing now, and began to slowly walk in the Faunus's direction.

"So you're not angry about...what happened?" Yang had never heard her partner sound this afraid.  _Why_ _couldn't_ _I have stayed with Blake? I had no idea how badly it would hurt her._

"Of course not Blake, I could never be angry about something like that." Yang was now no more than a foot from her partner.

"I just...you were in a weak place...I thought that I might have taken advantage of that." Blake's voice was now more embarrassed than anything.

"It just all happened so fast, and when I woke up next to you I...panicked. I'm sorry Blake, I should have waited to talk to you, but instead I ran off like a stupid kid."

Yang pulled her partner into a bear hug, just like the one she had given in that empty classroom. Though Blake accepted, she still had one important thing to say.

"You didn't answer my question Yang."

The blonde pulled away to arms length. "What? I don't..."

"What did it mean? Last night, what did it mean?" Blake's voice was barely a whisper, as if daring to hope would ruin any chance she had.

Yang giggled playfully, pulling the Faunus back into her embrace. "It means..." she began, finally meeting those beautiful golden orbs with her own, "...that I wouldn't mind if you kissed me again, Blake Belladonna."

Blake's heart skipped not one, but several beats. "You...you what?" She couldn't believe that  _those_ words had come out of  _that_ mouth.

"What, you don't believe me?" Yang tried to sound hurt, but her face betrayed her playfulness.

"What? No! It's just...there's a chance that I was hoping you'd say that." Blake said with a nervous smile.

Yang tilted her partners chin upwards, their lips barely an inch apart.

"I know." And their lips met.

The kiss was one of pure emotion, as sweet and tender as they come, lips melding perfectly together as the world fell away.

Blake, overcome with relief and elation, couldn't help as a solitary tear made its way down her cheek, Yang brushing it away gently. "You know Blake, now is when you would generally  _not_ be crying anymore."

The Faunus smiled up at her partner. "I know I just, can't believe this is really happening right now."

"Well you better believe it kitten, you're mine now." Yang voice dropped an octave. "Now, whatever shall we do out here all alone?" Yang smirked as her hands wandered lower, exploring.

"Really Yang, in the forest?" Blake's tone was dry.

"Oh fine, have it your way kitty," she said as she literally swept the raven-haired girl off her feet. As they began the trek back to Beacon.


	3. My Way (Redux)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I did another thing. 
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> Once again, not a whole lot change to the actual content here, but I took out the smut and consolidated it into a seperate Omake chapter which can be found after the interlude.

Yang stopped carrying Blake when they reached the main campus, considering that it might be seen as a little strange if they were seen walking around the school like they had just gotten married. However, not willing to cease  _all_ contact, Yang took Blake's hand as they made their way towards the statue in the centre of campus, their fingers interlacing as Blake blushed slightly.  _Seriously Blake, get a hold of yourself,_ was all that came to mind, though she secretly relished the contact, the weight of uncertainty and guilt finally lifted.

The peace and quiet didn't last long. "Yang! Blake! Where did you guys go? We've been looking for you!" Blake was woken from her thoughts by the excited voice of her team leader, and her eyes fell upon Ruby's companion, that furry little terror, Zwei, who was yapping as he raced along behind the young girl.

Hissing, Blake jumped on Yang's back, arms wrapping around her neck and legs around her waist. "Please keep that thing away from me." Her dry tone had returned.

"Zwei. Sit boy. Come on Blake, he just wants to be friends." Ruby pouted.

"Ruby, I'm not exactly in the market for new friends at the moment." Blake still hadn't descended from her perch, and was keeping a wary eye on _it_. Also, rather liking the excuse to hold Yang close, she surreptitiously rested her chin on the blonde's shoulder.

"It's alright kitten, you can come down now." Yang smirked.

"So where have you guys been? You missed pancakes for breakfast!" Ruby sounded quite shocked that  _anyone_ would miss a pancake breakfast on purpose.

"Uhh, we just-" Yang began, but Blake cut her off.

"We were out training in the forest, decided to get an early start today." Yang clearly didn't like lying to her sister like that, and she shifted away slightly.

"Really Blake, some things are much more important than training." Ruby seemed to be taking it rather personally that her sister and her teammate would abandon the greatest meal of the week.

"We weren't hungry." Yang said flatly, and Ruby, slightly taken aback by her sisters tone, only shrugged.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you later." And then she was gone, Zwei happily chasing after her.

Yang sighed. "We didn't have to lie like that Blake."

"I know it's just...this is still new to me, and I'd rather get used to it myself before I make others do the same." Blake took Yang's hand back in her own. "Besides, Ruby's still pretty young, this might be a little too much to drop on her so suddenly, we'll tell her soon." Blake's tone was gentle and reassuring.

"If you say so Blakey." The smile was back, _and once again Blake could only marvel at the beauty of this girl._

Once again, Yang whispered in her partners ear, "I might have something  _I'd_ like to drop on  _y_ _ou_ _._ "

Blake flushed crimson, but tried to downplay it by shaking her head in disappointment. "Really, that's the best you can come up with?"

Yang shrugged. "Source material wasn't great." Giving Blake's hand a squeeze. "Come on, I'm starving."

* * *

When they got to the dining hall, they met up with team JNPR who were all enjoying a late lunch as well.

"Hey guys." Jaune was the first to notice them as they approached the table with their food. "Where are the other two?"

"Ruby's out with Zwei."

"Ruby and Yang's dog." Blake clarified as she noticed the confused expressions of JNPR. She didn't even bother trying to hide the distaste in her voice.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Weiss is in the library studying." Yang joked, she knew her teammate all too well.

"THAT WAS  _YOUR_ DOG? I THOUGHT IT WAS OOBLECK'S! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Nora looked distraught at having missed out on valuable cuteness, and was slightly hysterical, nothing new there.

"Sorry Nora," Yang barely stifled a giggle. "He only arrived a few days ago, then we all had our missions right away, and things got...pretty complicated." Nora huffed dramatically and turned away with her nose in the air.

"So what did you two have in mind for today?" The eloquently posed question came from Pyrrha.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something," Yang said as she brushed her leg up against Blake's, the Faunus rolling her eyes in spirit.  _Seriously Yang, talk about thirst._

"Well, Jaune and I are going into Vale. I'd like to spend some time in the city when it's  _not_ _exploding or_ being overrun by Grimm, and Jaune offered to accompany me." It was clear – perhaps to everyone but Jaune – that Pyrrha rather enjoyed the idea of spending most of her day alone with tall, blond and scraggly. Yang winked at Jaune, who's face did an excellent impression of Pyrrha's hair.

"How about you Ren?" Yang was trying to hide the fact that her hand had found Blake's leg by directing attention to their silent friend. Blake shifted slightly, not altogether comfortable with the level of closeness Yang insisted of displaying.

"I should probably study as well, perhaps some meditation later," was the quiet response.

"That's soooo boring!" Nora was practically bouncing up and down. "We should go hunt some Grimm!"

"I think I've had enough Grimm for a while now Nora." Ren said solemnly.

"Fine, you're no fun!" Nora huffed again. "Well, to the library!" She yelled as she dragged Ren away.

"Yang and I should probably go too. Go study, I mean." Her partners exploration was getting entirely too intimate for such a public place.

"Have fun you two!" Yang called to Jaune and Pyrrha, nearly wrenching Blake's arm off as she pulled the Faunus away.


	4. Revelations (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REWRITE:
> 
> Gave Weiss a little more on her own at the beginning, since this is really the first we see of her in this story. Also added a little more of a tease for White Rose at the end ;)

Weiss liked the library.

It was a place where people came when they knew it was time to focus, to work, to  _be quiet._ Silence was something the heiress had found to be of short supply since she had arrived at Beacon.

It wasn't just the hectic noise of training and combat, that was expected. It was more so that living with Ruby and Yang made it rather difficult to find  _any_ peace whatsoever. She could tolerate the bad jokes, and she could bear Ruby's bubbly energy, but put the two together and it was a recipe for chaos. The girls seemed to feed off of some strange sisterly connection that only amplified their boisterous behaviour, and much to Weiss' chagrin, the noise level as well.

But today, to the dismay of the heiress, she found it hard to enjoy the peaceful time alone, as she couldn't help her thoughts from wandering to the latter half of team RWBY.

She had no idea what could have happened between them that would cause Blake to break down as she did, and to be perfectly honest, she found the whole thing quite silly.  _They are so childish. Seriously, how hard is it to deal with things like reasonable adults?_

All the same, she was worried, and the thoughts that now wormed their way into what should have been her peaceful time alone were less than pleasant. Despite her sometimes cold nature, and what others might say, Weiss truly did care about the well-being of her teammates, and could only hope that whatever it was had been sorted out.

Oh, was she ever in for a surprise.

"Hi Weiss!"

Weiss flinched as her partner announced her presence, voice already much too loud for the heiress' liking. "Shhhh!" Weiss hissed, causing Ruby to cover her mouth and squeak out a small "Sorry."

Her expression softened as she noticed that Ruby had Zwei with her, who gave her hand a lick as she bent down to pet him. "Ruby, you know you're not supposed to have animals in the library." Her mind unintentionally flashed to the day Sun had joined them here, but she quickly banished the thought.  _Stop it Weiss, what is wrong with you?_

"I know, but he promised to be quiet," Ruby whispered.

Weiss frowned, not understanding how a dog could have promised anything of the sort, but seeing as Zwei had now silently curled up on the floor, she decided to let it go.

She sighed, "Alright Ruby, what do you want?"  _This had better be good._

"We need to talk about Blake and Yang."  _Oh, that would in fact qualify as good._

"What about them?" Weiss tried to sound casual as a small pit of worry formed in her stomach.  _Did Ruby know something? Was there something wrong?_

"It's just, they were acting really weird when I saw them today."

"Going to need a little more detail than that, Ruby." Weiss deliberately keeping the exasperation from her voice.

"Well, Yang got annoyed with me really quickly when I asked where they had been all morning, and Blake seemed extra clingy all of a sudden, and" Ruby's voice dropped conspiratorially, "I think they might have been holding hands at some point."

Weiss' eyes widened.  _O_ _kay, definitely not what I was expecting_ _._ Ruby noticed her partners reaction. "What? Weiss, do you know something I don't?"

"Alright, listen Ruby..." She proceeded to tell the girl about how she'd walked in on Blake. How Blake had told her that Yang ran off. How when she told Blake to chase after her, she saw a certain look in the Faunus's eyes. A look that could not mean simple friendship, one that told of something deeper.

Ruby took a moment to absorb the plethora of new information.

"Blake was crying? Really? Wow. You don't think...Is Blake in love with Yang?" Now Ruby's eyes were wide as the realization hit her.

"That is what the situation has led me to believe, yes. And judging by what you've told me about their behaviour today, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that the feeling was mutual."

"So you think they might be  _together_ together?" She was genuinely incredulous now.

Having no idea how the girl would react to the news she simply said, "Ruby I-"

"That's so cuuuute!" Ruby exclaimed loudly, earning another shush from her partner. "They're so perfect for each other! We've gotta go talk to them!"

"Ruby! Stop!" In her desperation, Weiss tackled the girl to the ground before she had a chance to disappear. They crashed down in a heap, Weiss's arms around Ruby's midsection.

"Uhh, Weiss?" The heiress looked up to see a slightly embarrassed expression on the younger girls face. Blushing at their proximity, Weiss quickly detached herself before speaking. "We should probably wait. They might be...otherwise occupied at the moment..."

Understanding dawned on Ruby's face and she cocked her head. "Already?" Weiss shrugged, deliberately ignoring the adorable behaviour of her partner.

"It's been a long time coming."


	5. Interruptions (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REWRITE:
> 
> Very minor changes to this one. Mainly character-based.

The sun was just beginning to set as Blake awoke to the feeling of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She smiled, wriggling around to find Yang staring at her.

"Hey there kitten, sleep well?" The waning sun set Yang's violet eyes ablaze as she spoke, lacing purple with gold in a dazzling display of colour. The effect was dazzling, but Blake did not look away.

"How long were you watching me?"

"Oh, for a while. I was gonna wake you up, but you're so cute while you're asleep. I couldn't help myself." Blake laughed and snuggled closer, burying her face into the crook of Yang's neck and inhaling slowly.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Blake sighed. "So I'll allow you to bask in my cuteness for a while longer."

_"Well, if you insist." Yang teased._

_Blake leaned in for a kiss, but her ears pricked at a commotion coming from just outside the door of their room._ _Oh dear._

Before either girl could react, Ruby had burst through the door, a cloud of blood-red rose petals swirling behind her. At the sight of the various entangled limbs of her teammates she skidded to an abrupt halt, nearly toppling forward.

Blake braced herself for the worst.

"You guys  _still_ aren't done? Geez it's been hours!" Violet met bronze as Blake and Yang exchanged a very confused look. "Other people want to use this room too you know!" Ruby half-teased, half-scolded.

"Wait!" Yang's voice was incredulous. "You knew about this? How?" Ruby's glazed expression of confusion gave no answer, so Yang elaborated. "We thought you'd be embarrassed, or that you might not understand."

The blonde couldn't help the undertone of relief in her voice as she managed to disentangle herself from Blake.

Ruby rolled her eyes in an extremely Weiss-like fashion. "Well it wasn't that hard to figure out. I thought you guys were acting weird when I saw you earlier, and once Weiss told me about Blake crying in the morning, it seemed kind of obvious."

Yang's eyes were now back to Blake, and the faunus could see guilt swirling in those deep pools. "You...you were crying, Blake? About me?"

Blake gently brushed her partner's cheek, "Shh, it's okay Yang, really. I don't blame you for anything. It was my fault for being so quick to jump to conclusions." She gazed into those deep violet pools and pulled Yang closer. "So stop with the guilt, okay?"

Yang smiled sheepishly. "Thank you Blake." Just as their lips were about to meet once again, they heard a dainty "Ahem," from the door.

They hadn't noticed the heiress walk in, and breaking away quickly, they noticed the look of slight disapproval on her face, as well as a well-disguised refusal to look directly at the pair.

"Now," she began, "Ruby might be comfortable with you two as a couple, and don't get me wrong," she added quickly, "I'm happy for you too. But it would be greatly appreciated if you could keep the public displays of affection to minimum."

"Aww, but Weeeiiiiiss, they're so cuuute!" Ruby whined, making all three older huntresses blush.

"Honestly Ruby, I didn't think you'd take it this well. I thought you might be a little shocked." Yang still spoke cautiously, fearing that Ruby's idea of their relationship might be slightly more innocent than what it was in reality.

"Really Yang?" Ruby was indignant now. "I'm fifteen, it's not like I  _don't know_ what sex is."

"Okay, fair enough." Yang conceded. It seemed that the span of Ruby's "growing up" had extended beyond simply drinking milk.

"Speaking of which," Weiss still hadn't looked directly at Blake and Yang, and she spoke to the floor at Ruby's feet. "Would you two mind putting some clothes on? You're hardly decent at the moment..."

The two girls' faces literally became tomatoes at the realization, the commotion of the previous few minutes having wiped from their brains the fact that neither wore a scrap of clothing. They both instantly dove underneath the covers yelling "GET OUT!"

Needing no invitation, Weiss hastily departed, dragging Ruby out with her who called out to the hidden duo. "Bye guys, see you later!"

They resurfaced when they heard the door slam. "Well," Blake sighed, "I guess we should go, we can't stay in bed all evening."

Yang smirked as Blake stood up and began to get dressed. "Well we  _could._ _"_

Blake walked over and placed a kiss on Yang's cheek. "We have plenty of time for that later, come on, let's go see about dinner."

"Have it your way Blakey." Yang now stood up as well, and noticed that Blake had her bow in hand, about to re-cover her ears. "Wait, Blake."

She walked over to the faunus. "I know you think that you have to wear that thing, and I'm not going to try stopping you, but just let me do one thing first okay?"

Blake looked up at her partner, "Yang, what is-"

Yang pulled her into a soft kiss, reaching up to rub Blake's left ear. The cat-faunus purred at the contact, her head instinctively leaning into Yang's hand. She could feel Yang grinning into the kiss, amazed at the reaction she was able to coax out of the usually aloof girl.

Breaking apart, Blake smiled shyly, more than a little embarrassed at her animalistic tendencies. "That was actually really nice, Yang."

The blonde pulled her into an embrace, Blake resting her head on Yang's chest. "You're the most beautiful, adorable, amazing girl I've ever met, Blake, and I want to make sure you know that." Blake's heart melted at the words. "You've made me the luckiest person in the world, and I promise, I won't ever let you go."

"Yang I-" Blake's eyes filled with tears as her partner finished, the blonde gently kissing away the few that fell as she smiled down at her love. Words failed the faunus as she met Yang's lips again, trying to show her all the things that she wasn't able to say.

They separated at last, Yang's face still stuck on that brilliant smile of hers. "Come on kitten," giving Blake one last peck on the lips, "let's go."

* * *

In the interest of not drawing attention to themselves, they elected  _not_ to tell JNPR about their involvement, as Blake still wanted to keep things relatively quiet. She _did_ , however, have to spend most of the meal interrupting Ruby whenever the bubbly girl strayed into treacherous territory, though she had Weiss for support as well.

The evening passed uneventfully, and team RWBY returned to their dorm for bed.

After changing into the yukata she slept in, Blake reclined on her bed, ready to lose herself in a book, but felt Yang slip into bed beside her and wrap an arm around her.

"Come on kitten, you're not allowed to read now, I need cuddles." Blake rolled her eyes, but allowed Yang to lie down next to her and pull Blake into her warm embrace. Blake could feel Yang's breath tickling the back of her neck, and turning her head, she found its source with her lips, Yang sighing into the kiss. "I love you Yang."

"I love you too Blake."

"Awwwww!"

"Ruby! Shut up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the shorter chapter length and the fact that it was mostly fluff. I PROMISE, shit kicks off next chapter, so get excited.
> 
> As usual, don't hesitate to tell me what you thought of it, improvements, etc.
> 
> Peace out.


	6. Odin's Ravens (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6. Plot kicks off here, be warned. Less fluff, more plot.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> Main thing here was making several changes to Raven's characterization. She's supposed to be kinda of arrogant and smug and I feel like that didn't really come across in the original version.
> 
> Aside from that just description and elaboration man.

Yang wasn't sure what it was that pulled her from the blissful unconsciousness of sleep. There had been no creak, no howl, no whisper, none of the disturbances that one would normally associate with interrupted slumber. What she did know, however, is that she couldn't shake the feeling that someone had wanted this and was watching her.

No, waiting for her.

It was late, very late, and the rest of her team was fast asleep. The girl next to her breathed gently with a look of absolute serenity on her face.

Yang studied Blake's features.  _S_ _he's so beautiful when she's asleep, hell, she's so beautiful all the time,_ she thought, absentmindedly brushing a strand of hair from her sleeping partner's face.

Though the moment was the very picture of calmness and stability, Yang couldn't ignore the sense of foreboding that filled her heart.  _Damn it, what is going on, why do I feel like this?_

Yang couldn't help her mind from straying to the dream she'd had the night before. How she'd been filled with this same sense of foreboding. How it had called to her, beckoned her to approach and then struck her when she least expected it.  _There's no way. It was just a dream, right?_

However, there's something about the silent darkness of the night that can make even the strangest thought seem possible, and despite the obvious foolishness of her actions, Yang detached herself from the Faunus, trying her very best not to wake the sleeping girl.  _I don't need to drag her into this. Bedsides, there probably isn't even anything to drag her into..._

_Something deep inside of her heart knew that wasn't the case._

Bare feet found cold floor, and she stood, wincing at the soft crackle of old, wooden floorboards. Stealth had never been her strong suit – it was definitely more her partner's area of expertise – and she tried in vain to muffle the soft grunts and creaks that came as she moved about.  _Man, Weiss'll be pissed if I wake her up right now._

She somehow managed to reach the door without waking anyone with her less-than-discreet movements.  _I can't believe I'm doing this,_ Yang thought, cringing as the door closed rather louder than she had intended, but luckily not rousing any of the girls that now lay on the other side.

_She started down the hallway as quietly as possible, and as she passed the door of team JNPR she heard a soft snoring that most likely belonged to Nora._ _Damn it Yang, what the hell are you doing?_

But reason no longer had a say in the matter. Something else had taken hold and was now driving the girl towards whatever waited for her out there in the dark.

_I never realized how creepy Beacon was at night._ The ancient building creaked and rustled in the darkness, eerie sounds echoing through the silence of night like long lost whispers that no one would ever hear, doomed to go unnoticed and forgotten by the world, save for one lone girl.  _Come on, t_ _here's no such thing as ghosts, seriously, get a fucking grip on yourself._

* * *

The cold air assaulted her senses as she stepped outside. A soft breeze played with her hair and she shivered at its touch, the yellow tank top she wore doing little to protect her from the elements.

She could see what she knew to be her destination, a large stone statue depicting a huntsman and huntress slaying an ursa major, weapons raised triumphantly into the obsidian sky.

But that was all.

No woman in red, no evil demon waiting to consume her soul. Nothing at all out of the ordinary.

Yang let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned back towards the dormitory, already regretting leaving the soft bed and rather cuddly faunus that lay in it.  _I hope Blake didn't wake up and start worrying._ _At least I could say that-_

_Her thoughts evaporated._ Out of the corner of her eye, she'd seen something that had frozen her in place.

In front of the statue, there had appeared something that could only be described as a blood-red cloud, vapour swirling in its depths as it grew larger and larger.

_Yang knew where she'd seen this before._

Yang was instantly brought back to the train, how she had awoken to see a woman, dressed in red, just as she disappeared into a swirling vortex of light and mist. One that was all too similar to what she was now faced with.

All thoughts of Blake abandoned her as she turned to face the crimson vortex, calling, "Hey! Whoever's there, stop hiding and come out!" Her aggression in the face of the unknown fuelled the words, and they must have come across as more of a challenge than a request.

As if in response, the cloud grew even larger, now almost as large as the statue, and definitely bigger than a human. Its mists suddenly began swirling violently, and then it was gone, leaving in its place a woman.

A woman dressed in red.

Yang tensed up as her visitor revealed herself.  _There's no way...this is exactly like my dream, except I don't think I'll be waking up from this one._

_Blake..._

"Hello Yang," the voice was calm, betraying nothing about the woman to whom it belonged.

"Who are you?" Yang noticed that her voice sounded less impatient than it had in her dream. Anger was now replaced by apprehension. Aggression had become fear.

"Yang," The woman began to take her mask off, and the blonde's heart began to race. "We have a  _lot_ to talk about."

The mask was now gone, leaving in its place jet black hair, a distinctly beautiful and familiar face, and bright, red eyes.

The brawler spoke, voice dripping with trepidation.

"Mom?"

* * *

Blake's ears pricked as she thought she'd heard her name called out through the night.

Quickly taking in the fact that strong arms no longer encircled her waist, she felt a familiar bubbling of worry growing in her gut.  _Now what's wrong?_ Judging from the previous night's events, Blake knew that whatever it is, Yang probably needed her now as she had then.  _So why wouldn't she wake me?_

_You're such an idiot Yang._

The Faunus silently slipped out of bed and towards the door, determined to catch her girlfriend before she did anything stupid.  _Blake knew full well that Yang had already done something stupid, but in a case like this it's all a matter of relativity._

It was only once she'd left the dorm, that she realized that she really had no idea where Yang had gone.  _Shit. Okay, she wouldn't run out like this unless she had a specific destination in mind, so where..._ But then she remembered Yang's dream. How she had met that woman at the statue. What she had been told.

_She doesn't seriously think it was some kind of premonition, does she?_ _However_ , Yang had always been impulsive, prone to leaping without looking, so it wasn't a stretch to imagine the girl setting off to find this woman that may or may not even exist.

Blake raced off to where she knew she would find Yang, her heart roiling in fear. She knew there was something very wrong with this whole situation.  _Yang. Please be okay._

When she made it outside, she realized with a jolt that she'd forgotten to cover her ears, and the wind whipped into the feline appendages as she ran, creating an unpleasant buffeting in her skull. But she didn't care. Right now, all that mattered was finding Yang.

She rounded the final corner and froze, shocked by the scene in front of her.

There was Yang, seemingly unharmed, but-

_Is that...? No, it can't be. There's no way!_

But it was. It was the woman from Yang's dream.

Standing right there.

* * *

"Mom?"

The woman shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid not, Yang, I understand how you must be feeling, but I'm not your mother."

"So who are you? What do you want?" Yang's voice was hard, clearly in an effort to mask her bitter disappointment.

"My name is Raven, Raven Branwen." The woman's unsettlingly calm demeanour remained unbroken.

"Should I know that name?" Yang was rapidly losing her patience.

"Probably not, seeing as we've never met. I'm Qrow's daughter, so I guess that would make us cousins." The news left Yang seemingly unfazed, she crossed her arms, relaxing slightly.

"I didn't know he had a daughter. Qrow never seemed like the type who'd want to settle down and raise a family." This made Raven laugh weakly. "But you still haven't answered my question. What do you want?" Yang's aura was beginning to heat up as she grew more annoyed with this woman.

"Yang!" The cry came from behind, and she turned around and saw Blake sprinting towards her, fear and worry painfully evident on the girl's face. The Faunus stopped a few feet away and glanced around nervously. "What are you doing here? And who is  _that_ _?"_ Blake motioned at Raven.

"Blake Belladonna, well isn't this a nice surprise. Don't worry, I already knew that you were a Faunus, you've no reason for concern on that front." Raven said coolly.

"How do you know who I am?" It was now Blake's turn to take the aggressive stance.

"I've heard quite a bit about you from a certain Mr. Taurus. You're familiar with him?" Blake's face whitened at the mention of her former partner.

"How do you know Adam? Did he send you here?" Raven let out a cold laugh.

"As if I take orders from that maniac. No I'm here of my own accord. You see, I came here to give you a warning." The girls were now thoroughly confused and more than a little angry at the self-important nature of their midnight visitor.

"Damn it, get to the point!" Yang's temper was clearly about to boil over, and perhaps Raven sensed this, because she quickly hid the smirk she'd worn for the past few minutes.

"I'm here to warn you about the White Fang." Blake's brow furrowed.

"What about them? We ended their plan to destroy Vale, and I thought most of them died in that tunnel." There was no sympathy in Blake's voice for the hundreds of souls lost in the incident.

"That's true Blake, after they lost many of their brothers in those caves, there was some doubt about how to proceed, with many calling for an immediate cease in operation. But it would seem that someone, namely our dear Adam, is trying to reignite the flame, to convince them that their cause is still worthwhile." Blake tensed as her personal devil was brought up again.

"You seem remarkably well informed, how is it that you know so much about their internal affairs? I'm sure that a member of the White Fang wouldn't feel the need to share this information with us, unless you're a traitor." Blake spat out the last word.

"Personal tastes aside, the truth is that I was asked by professor Ozpin to infiltrate the White Fang in order to get an inside perspective on their operations. So in a way, I suppose the apple didn't fall far from the tree after all." Silence cut through the night as the young huntresses absorbed everything they had just been told, Raven waiting patiently for one of them to speak.

"Well if you really are working for Ozpin, why bother telling  _us_ any of this? You know where to find him."Yang didn't like where this was going, there was too many unknowns for her taste. Too many questions without answers.

Plus Raven came across as kind of a bitch.

The woman in question merely shrugged. "I will, rest assured, not that anything will come of it." In response to the questioning looks she received, Raven continued. "Over the years I've found Ozpin to be a little too...passive for my taste, a lot of talk but that's about it. I wanted someone who has no problem taking action, and from what I've heard of team RWBY, you seemed like the ones to tell."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Yang demanded, more out of curiosity than anger.

Raven chuckled. "You  _are_ the first-years who insisted on taking on an advanced job with little to no experience, are you not?" Yang would have to give her that one. "Plus, the fact that Ozpin  _allowed_ this to happen told me more than what I needed to make this decision. You're special, and he knows it."

"So what are we supposed to do about it?" Flattery was nice and all, but Yang still didn't trust this woman. All this secrecy rubbed her the wrong way.

"I'm not saying you're  _supposed_ to do anything. I've come here with information, nothing more, and you may do with it what you wish." Her eyes flashed knowingly. "I just thought that since you have a more...personal connection to this particular problem, that you ought to be given a chance to do something about it."

_Needless to say, this didn't sit at all well with Blake._ _If Adam's involved, whatever the White Fang is planning is going to be very bad for a lot of people. Maybe she was right to tell us._

However, Blake still had one question.

"Why were you on the train?" Raven looked confused at Blake's sudden outburst, and Yang – who had initially shared this confusion – quickly nodded her approval of Blake's question.

The Faunus forged ahead. "That  _was_ you on the train wasn't it? I'm not complaining, obviously. In fact, I should be thanking you for saving my partner. But why go out of your way and risk your cover like that?"

Raven was suddenly evasive, and refused to meet Yang's eyes as she spoke. "Someone...has asked me to watch over you." The blonde raised her eyebrow.

"Who?"

Raven sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Yang began to tremble, her aura sparking. "Tell me." She said through clenched teeth. Blake grabbed the blonde's hand, squeezing gently in an effort to calm the girl down.

There was a long silence as Raven seemed to resist speaking, but eventually relented and finally made eye contact with Yang.

"It was your mother."

Yang's eyes widened, and Blake could now see that they had turned scarlet, matching Raven's perfectly.

"You weren't supposed to know, she was afraid of what might happen if you fou-"

"SHUT UP!" Blake jumped as Yang began to yell, dropping the Faunus's hand and walking slowly towards Raven.

"You know my mother. You know where she is, and you  _are_ going to tell me." Yang's voice dropped menacingly as she continued to advance.

"I'm sorry Yang, but I can't do that." Raven had put on her mask, preparing to leave.

"You're not going anywhere!" Yang sprung viciously towards Raven, either not noticing or not caring that she had no weapon with which to defend herself.

"Yang stop, please!" But the blonde was deaf to her girlfriends plaintive cry.

Raven shook her head as she sidestepped the brawlers charge, fist connecting with Yang's gut as she passed. Yang collapsed, wind knocked out of her, gasping out a desperate "wait" as Raven drew her sword.

The red blade slashed through the air, and to Blake's astonishment, a red strange swirling cloud appeared. Raven stepped over the fallen Yang and into the vortex, before disappearing into thin air.

Her attention fell to the girl who remained, now on her hands and knees, head bent and eyes hidden from view.

"Yang?" Silence.

"Yang, please say something." Blake slowly approached the girl on the ground.

"She knows my mom." Yang's voice was strained, and Blake could see tears streaming down her face.

"She knows where she is, and she wouldn't tell me." The blonde's voicee was rising again, and Blake almost recoiled.

"She left, and I didn't learn a  _fucking thing_!" She was screaming now, fists clenched as if about to punch a hole in the ground.

"FUCK!" With one last scream of rage, Yang's aura ignited, with all the pent-up anger and frustration venting into a fiery explosion.

Before Blake could react, she was lifted off her feet and slammed into a nearby pillar by the sheer force of the blast.

It was the dull crack of bone against rock that brought Yang back to the world, and she turned to see her partner slumped over at the base of a pillar.

"BLAKE!" She sprinted to the Faunus's side, all thoughts of Raven and her mother temporarily pushed from her mind as she sank to her knees beside the motionless girl.

"Blake! Please say something!" She got no response as fresh tears formed, running down her cheeks and onto the Faunus's as she cradled her in her arms.

_Blake...I'm so sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? Did you hate it? 
> 
> Don't hesitate to tell me exactly what you thought.


	7. Obligation (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter seven. Woot woot!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> Once again, not a whole lot with this chapter. Some minor tweaks to characters but other than that I was pretty happy with this one to begin with.

"Fractured skull, two cracked ribs, and minor trauma; All in all, I'd say that your friend was lucky, with an impact like that, it's amazing there's no lasting damage."

The doctor's words found their way to Yang's ears, but left no impression. The blonde was empty, she hadn't spoken since crashing into the infirmary and begging the on-duty staff to help the unconscious Faunus in her arms. She'd barely reacted when her teammates had shown up soon after, Ruby wordlessly clinging onto her sister, Weiss offering calm words of reassurance.

"However," the doctor continued, "I still cannot allow any visitors for at least a day or two, as recovery from the trauma is the first priority." This was probably for the best, since Yang didn't think she'd be able to face Blake anyway, not after what she'd done.

No matter what anybody said, no matter how many "it wasn't your fault"s were directed her way, Yang knew that all of the blame rested squarely on her shoulders. It was she who'd lost control, she who'd brought her anger down on the one person she had sworn never to harm, the one person who made her whole. But now that person was out of reach, and it was Yang who had put her there. Nothing could have left her feeling more hollow.

"Yang?" Ruby's soft voice roused her slightly, and she turned to meet silver eyes. "I don't think Blake will blame you."

"I know," Yang's voice was hoarse from lack of use, "but she should." And with that, she stood up and walked out of the infirmary, Ruby and Weiss exchanging concerned looks before following her. Weiss graciously thanked the doctor as she left, seeing as Yang was unlikely to do so.

The three girls silently made their way back to their dorm room, exhaustion beginning to set in as Yang had now been awake since roughly 3:00am. Opening the door, she wordlessly collapsed onto her bed, instantly giving way to an uneasy slumber.

Ruby gave her sister one last worried look, then turned to face her partner. "Weiss, what are we gonna do? I know Blake will forgive her, but I don't know if she'll forgive herself." Ruby knew her sister all too well, and she'd always been hard on herself when it came to the mistakes she made.

Weiss sighed. "I don't really think there' _s_ much we _can_ do right now, aside from making sure the girl survives these next few days. All we an do is make sure she eats, goes to class, and doesn't do anything stupid. If anyone's going to help your sister, it has to be Blake."

Ruby nodded, she couldn't help but admire Weiss' levelheadedness in situations like these, the heiress always managing to calm her nerves in moments of uncertainty.

"Um, Ruby? Why are you looking at me like that?" The younger girl blushed, not realizing she had been staring at her partner.

"Uhh, sorry," she said, quickly looking away. "Come on, we may as well try and get some sleep ourselves." And without another word, the heiress climbed into bed, yawning quietly as she almost immediately dropped off.

As Ruby climbed up into her treacherous sleeping quarters, she gazed over to her sister in the opposite bunk.  _I really hope that Blake will be able to fix this_ _,_ was her last thought before she let sleep claim her.

* * *

**The next day did not start well.**

Yang refused to join them for breakfast, pretending - badly - to still be asleep as they left.

When Weiss tried to rouse Yang who still hadn't moved though noon had come and gone, she had been met with a savage growl and an aggressive pillow to the face. Ruby was finally able to convince Yang that she needed to eat if she wanted to survive the week, so Yang grudgingly followed her teammates down to the dining hall for lunch.

Weiss and Ruby had warned JNPR in advance that it would be best to not mention the incident, seeing as it was clear that no words of comfort they could offer would do anything to help Yang. So they did their best to go about the conversation as usual, though the occasional sympathetic glance directed the blonde's way gave most of them away.

Yang simply sat there, absently picking at her food, which by some cruel twist of fate was tuna today. Her eyes began to sting again as the guilt surged back, threatening to overcome her. Quickly standing up, she said "I'm going to the library, see you guys later." She left most of her food untouched.

As she left, Pyrrha gazed worriedly after her. "I'm concerned for her, she seems to be taking this very hard."

Jaune piped up, "Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen her this down about something." Ruby offered him a weak smile, but not much else, nothing to reassure her friends that it would be alright, because quite honestly, she'd never seen her sister this bad either.

To everyone's surprise, it was Ren who spoke next. "Well, I suppose it's to be expected, seeing as she was directly responsible for the injury, and that the victim was her romantic partner."

Silence.

Everyone at the table was now looking incredulously at Ren. "How could you possibly have known?" Weiss asked in disbelief.

Ren shrugged. "I noticed."

"Wait. You mean that...Blake and Yang are...umm..." Jaune couldn't finish the thought as his face lit up like a tomato.

"Yes Jaune, that would be what we mean." Weiss replied. Jaune and Pyrrha allowed this new development to sink in.

It was Pyrrha who spoke first. "I supposed that  _would_ explain Yang's mood. She's finally able to confess her feelings to Blake, finds that Blake returns them, but ends up almost fatally wounding the girl immediately afterwards."

The youngest of the group spoke up quietly. "Yeah, and that's why the only person that will be able to talk some sense into her is Blake, and that won't happen for at least a day."

To Ruby, Yang had always been the perfect older sister. A best friend when she needed it, a source of comfort when she was feeling lonely or sad, a mother to the girl who had so cruelly lost her own. To see her like this was frightening. Ruby had never felt this helpless before, her one source of comfort was now the one that needed comforting, and she couldn't return the favour.

* * *

Classes started back up on Monday, and it took a supreme effort from Weiss and Ruby to drag Yang out of bed and into professor Port's classroom. However, they found that her attention level was about as low as it would have been on any normal day, so they chose not to press the issue.

The old professor began his customary verbose, self-satisfying lecture, but Yang's thoughts had already strayed to Blake.  _Is she recovering properly?_ _How long until I'm able to see her?_

_Will she even want me to?_

"Miss Xiao Long!"

Yang started at the mention of her name. "Yes professor?"

"Professor Ozpin has requested a word with you in his office, I've been instructed to excuse you from this lecture." Port sounded none to pleased to see her go, lecherous old man that he was, but he was not one to deny a request from the headmaster.

Yang could feel the entire class's eyes boring into her as she crossed the room, she could hear the whispers behind her back.  _I guess rumours must travel quickly here, huh?_ A small smile from Ruby was hardly encouragement as she passed her sister and Weiss who both sat in the front row as expected.

What could Ozpin want? Did he have an update on Blake's status? Was he going to punish her for injuring her teammate?  _It wouldn't be more than I deserve_ _,_  she thought bitterly as she stepped into the elevator to the tower.

* * *

Ozpin was waiting for her.

"Hello Yang. Please sit down." He was seated behind a large desk, his customary mug of unknown liquid in hand. "How are you feeling?" Yang shot him a glare as she sat across from him.

"Do I really need to answer?" Not caring who it was she was talking to.

Ozpin gave something of a grimace. "I suppose not." He took a sip from his mug before continuing. "But I would like to start our conversation by making it perfectly clear that the only person who blames you for last night's...misfortunes, is yourself." He remained deadpan as he finished, as if not expecting a response at all.

"Well anyone who thinks that way is wrong, including you." Yang replied flatly and Ozpin could clearly detect the stubborn contrariety in her voice.

"Very well, I will not try to change your mind about the matter, seeing as that responsibility clearly lies with someone else." His face was impassive, but his eyes were filled with sympathetic understanding.  _How did he even know?_ _Before she had a chance to ask, the headmaster pushed onward._

"But that is not the reason I wished to speak with you. Is it true that upon the night in question, you were contacted by Raven Branwen?"

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"And what was the nature of your discussion?" Ozpin took another sip from his mug.

Seeing no reason to withhold information on the matter, Yang answered immediately. "She told me that she was your spy, that she had infiltrated the White Fang to feed you information." her fists clenched as she blurted out what – to Yang – was the only important thing at the moment. "She told me that  _my mother_ assigned her to protect me!" Her temper was rising again, and it took great effort not to begin storming around the room and smashing things to vent her frustration.

He took another sip. "I see." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, placing the mug on the table.

" _You see?_  How can you be so calm about this! You must have known about the connection between  _your spy_ and my mother! But you didn't tell me anything! WHY?" Self-control gone, with the last word Yang brought her fist down on the table, shattering Ozpin's mug, causing liquid to cascade onto the floor.

Ozpin glanced down at the broken ceramic, unfazed, before sedately pushing his glasses farther up his nose.

"Miss Xiao Long, something that you must understand is that I know only as much as Miss Branwen elects to tell me. She is under no obligation to explain the full extent of her involvement in White Fang operations, or any other assignments she may have undertaken. As such, I had no prior knowledge of the connection between Miss Branwen and your mother. This particular...complication is just as much of a revelation for me as it is for you." His voice was calm and level as ever, but Yang looked shamefully down at the remnants of the headmaster's beverage all the same.

"I'm sorry professor, it's...just hard right now. Everything got so crazy so fast." Sinking down into her chair, her throat tightened and she choked the last words out. "And Blake, I just..."

Ozpin put up a hand to silence her. "It's quite alright Yang, I understand how you must be feeling at the moment, and I do not wish to cause you further pain by forcing you to recount unpleasant events, but it is of the utmost importance that I know what she told you."

Yang released a shaky breath. "First of all, she said she would be telling you this herself, so why bother asking me?"

"I prefer to get my facts from less...evasive sources, in other words, people I know I can trust completely. Coincidentally Raven does not count among them, valuable as she may be."

Yang took some small comfort in knowing that Ozpin did not fully trust the woman either.

"She told us that the White Fang have fallen into disarray, a lot of them want to stop operating after their failure a few days ago. But now they're being led by a man named Adam Taurus, and uhh...due to Blake's Faunus heritage, she had heard of him. Apparently he's got a reputation." Yang wasn't sure if Ozpin knew the full extent of Blake's 'heritage', so she decided to play it safe and not tell the man outright of her involvement with the Fang.

"I see, yes I've heard of him as well. Quite a ruthless man as I'm led to believe." Yang swallowed hard,

_T_ _his guy was Blake's partner?_

Ozpin however, was not finished. "Despite his track record, I do not think that he is beyond reason. I believe he's truly doing what he thinks is best for his people, an admirable trait in any leader, good or bad." Ozpin seemed to be talking to himself more than Yang.

She cleared her throat to draw his attention.

"Oh yes, that will be all. Thank you for your time, Miss Xiao Long."

The abrupt dismissal caught her off guard. "Oh, okay. Goodbye professor." As she was about to step into the elevator, she heard Ozpin call to her.

"And Yang, I would strongly advise  _against_ taking any...unwarranted action on the information you've received, no matter how close you or any member of you team may be to those responsible." Yang nodded and exited the room.

* * *

Yang was surprised to find Weiss waiting for her at the bottom of the elevator. "Weiss? What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Her teammate spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Blake's awake, thought you might want to know." Yang's heart did several flips in her chest cavity.

"That's great, really." Yang couldn't help the fear that bubbled up inside of her. At least for the past couple of days she hadn't had to face Blake's anger, her pain. But now that she was awake...

"Go talk to her. Now." Weiss had prepared for this turn of events and was more than ready to deal with a frightened and unwilling Yang. As if on cue, the blonde spoke.

"But it was  _my_ fault, Weiss. I hurt her, I could have  _killed_ her."

"But we both know that she won't care. She loves you Yang, she would do anything for you, including forgive you." Weiss smirked, remembering having a very similar conversation with the other half of this couple a few days earlier. "Just go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have noooo idea how badly I wanted to pull a Nick Fury at the beginning of this chapter: "Fractured skull, two broken ribs, one hell of a headache."
> 
> As usual, don't hesitate to tell me exactly what you thought of it. Feedback of any kind always helps.
> 
> Wrote this one while watching hockey....yeah.


	8. Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really running out of things to say at the beginning of these, so I shall only say: Banana.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> Did the moving of the smut thing again. That'll be in the second omake now.
> 
> Not sure if it's really worth calling this one a rewrite so I won't label it as such in the index. Very minor changes here and there.

Blake really wished she had a book.

When she'd at last woken up, the first thing she'd been greeted with was the doctor, who had nearly put her immediately back to sleep as he droned on about "complications" and "recovery time." But that was over an hour ago, and boredom had set in. She badly needed something to distract herself until Yang showed up.  _If_ Yang showed up.

_She will, I just hope that she isn't too hard on herself, she doesn't deserve that._

Blake sighed and stared up at the blank ceiling, fearing more for her girlfriend than for herself. Though the Faunus was currently the one hooked up to an IV, with multiple broken bones, she couldn't help but feel that Yang was the one that truly needed to heal.

Blake hoped the blonde would realize that it truly hadn't been her fault. It was an accident and everyone saw it that way, except for the one person who mattered most. It had long been known that Yang was much too stubborn for her own good.

"Blake?"

A nervous voice called out to her. Tearing her eyes away from the ceiling, Blake saw the person she'd been waiting for standing in the doorway, her brow furrowed with worry and pain.  _She must be taking this just as badly as I thought._

Yang shifted uncomfortably, either unwilling or unable to meet her partner's eyes, Blake could almost  _feel_ _s_ hame radiating from the girl.

"Yang, come here." It was a demand, she gave the brawler no choice in the matter as she motioned for her to sit down next to her bed. She could see tears forming in her partners eyes as she approached, so she took her hand and offered her a gentle smile as the blonde sat down.

"Blake I'm..." Yang broke down almost instantly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, this is my fault. I swore that I would never hurt you, that I'd always be there for you, but I lied. I couldn't keep that promise, and I almost killed you!" Yang choked the words out, squeezing Blake's hand as she wrestled with her guilt.

Blake brought Yang's hand up to her lips and gently kissed it, trying to convey her feelings through the tender action.

"Yang, look at me." The watery violet orbs finally latched onto Blake's, and Faunus's heart broke at the fear that she could see swirling in their depths _._ "You know that I don't blame you for what happened last night?"

Yang nodded, starting to speak, "But you shou-"

"No Yang, I don't, and I never will." She pulled Yang's shoulders down, bringing her closer. Seeing her girlfriend this broken was like a dagger to the heart. "I love you Yang, I'll always love you, no matter what, and I will always forgive you...always." Yang had begun to cry again.

"Blake, I just-"

"Shh" Blake pressed a finger to Yang's lips, silencing her. "But that's not what's important right now. I need to know that you won't blame  _yourself_  for what happened. Seeing you like this...it hurts a lot more than any physical injury ever could." She placed her hand in Yang's hair, pulling her even closer.

"Please, don't blame yourself," she repeated, and with that, she brought their lips together, Blake trying to be as gentle as possible while Yang apologized to her lips with her own. The tears that still ran down Yang's cheeks mixed with their saliva and gave the kiss a salty taste.

Yang choked out a giggle as Blake began to lick the salt off of the blonde's cheeks, a distinctly cat-like thing to do. She broke away, gazing down at the girl below her, eyes shimmering.

"You're so perfect. I don't deserve you Blake." The Faunus tangled her fingers in the long golden mane, pulling her back down. Blake bit down on her partner's lip, whispering into her open mouth.

"You do, in more ways than you know."

Yang sighed as Blake traced her lips and teeth with her tongue. "I missed this. I missed you." Blake rolled her eyes.

"I've only been out for a day and a half."

"It felt like a lot longer without my kitty-cat." Blake grinned, Yang's playfulness had returned, and she dove back in, deeply kissing her girlfriend, hungry for more. "Yang, as much as I'd love to fuck your brains out right here and now, I'm afraid we're not exactly in the most...discreet of locations." Blake resented the words that came from her own mouth. She needed Yang now.

"Don't worry kitten, I locked the door." Tempting as it was, Blake couldn't ignore what the doctor had told her. Something about "strenuous activity."  _If Yang's involved...yeah, definitely out of the question._

"Yeah, but unless you want me to crack a few more ribs, I'm afraid we'll have to hold off on the sex for a while longer." She had meant it as a joke, but look on Yang's face was heart-shattering.

"I'll never do anything that might hurt you Blake, I swear." Blake grimaced from the pain as she sat up in bed, wrapping her arms around Yang's waist and pulling her into an embrace, pressing the side of her face into the blonde's chest.

"I know, I'm sorry for bringing it up." Yang grinned as she noticed one of Blake's ears twitch right in front of her nose, and Blake let a soft rumble grow in her chest as Yang gave it a kiss.

"Well you better heal quickly, cause this whole purring thing makes you at least forty percent sexier." Blake blushed.

* * *

Three days later, Blake was released from the infirmary with firm instructions – much to Yang's disappointment – not to participate in any combat training or similarly strenuous activities for several days. However, that didn't mean that Yang had no 'plans' for her partner in the meantime, this would be an interesting few days for both of them, to say the least.

Lunchtime rolled around, and as Blake and Yang approached the table where their teammates sat with JNPR, they couldn't help but notice some odd looks from both Jaune and Pyrrha, who were giggling quietly to each other.

"Hello Blake, glad to see you're out of the infirmary, how are you feeling?" Pyrrha quickly pushed Jaune away as they sat down.

"Well," Blake began, "fractured skull, two broken ribs, and one hell of a headache. Other than that I'm fine."

"Don't forget about your trauma." Yang cut in, circling an arm around Blake's waist and pulling her closer, causing Jaune and Pyrrha to exchange knowing looks.

"Let's not forget about that." Blake shot back dryly, detaching herself, not realizing that everyone at the table already knew about what she was trying to hide, and was watching with amusement.

"Well, now that everything seems to be resolved, I'd just like to say that I'm very happy for the both of you. You two really do make a great couple." Pyrrha barely suppressed a laugh as Jaune spoke up.

Blake almost choked on her fish, Yang clapping her on the back. "How did you know?" Yang shot a look of pure murder over at her sister. "RUBY!"

"It wasn't me! Ren figured it out!" Blake and Yang shot disbelieving looks at their silent friend, who merely shrugged in response.

"Sooooo, what's it like being _together_ together?" Nora was always willing to ask the awkward questions, Ren always looking down in embarrassment for his friend.

"Well I could give details if you want." Blake quickly clapped a hand over her girlfriend's mouth only to flush when Yang bit down softly on her palm.  _Damn it, is she trying to drive me insane?_ Standing up quickly and dragging Yang up with her she said, "We should probably get to class."

* * *

 

A man stood alone on a moonlit hilltop overlooking Vale. He impatiently checked his watch for what must have been the fiftieth time in the past few minutes.

_Why is she always late..._

He shivered slightly as a light breeze whipped through his clothing, the moonlight casting eerie shadows as it filtered through the trees. But this man didn't mind the cold, or the dark, or the fear that night brought as it descended upon the land. In the night, he could finally feel as though he was truly one with the world, instead of sticking out as he did in the day.

As he stared out over the city, he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of contempt for all those who lay comfortable in their beds, as they would never know the true freedom that darkness could grant.

He noticed something begin to form behind him, a red vortex of swirling mist, growing larger by the second.

_It's about time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, don't hesitate to tell me exactly what you thought of it.
> 
> Peace out.


	9. Into Darkness (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oranges, that is all.
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> Some changes to Ozpin here and there.
> 
> Broke up a lot of moments where there was a solid paragraph of italics for thought.

The man turned to face his visitor.  _I still have no idea how she does that, and I feel like I've earned an explanation at this point._

Suddenly, the cloud was gone, and in its place stood a woman, dressed in red, with an absurdly large Grimm mask on her face.  _Still wearing that enormous thing, I see. Show-off._

"You took your time." The man spoke first, his voice low and gravelly. "I've been waiting for over an hour now."

The woman laughed. "Aww, did you miss me? That's so sweet of you." Her tone was cocky. Not entirely unfriendly, but he doubted an apology would follow.

"That's cute, but unlike some people, I have a sense of professionalism about my work." Raven approached him, crossing her arms, pouting slightly though he couldn't see it.

"It would seem that you've got it about your play too. I would know." This made the man smirk slightly. "I guess you would, though I wouldn't mind another chance sometime soon, in order to prove you wrong for once."

"Looking forward to it." Raven said, poking him in the chest. The man grabbed – not all that roughly – at her hand.

"But now, I need you to tell me what She said. What are Her orders for how we're to move ahead?" The man was all business once again.

Raven rolled her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. "You're not going to like it."

"Just, tell me," he said calmly as he released Raven's hand.

"She says that we'll have to proceed more cautiously from now on, starting with a slowdown in operations." The man raised an eyebrow at this. "Apparently word of your involvement has gotten out, and certain people are beginning to take notice of us."

The man groaned.  _Damn it! Someone must have given us away._ "Who talked? I'll make sure they get what the deserve."

"Save your strength, that isn't the main problem."

_Momentary silence fell._

"I'm listening..." He doubted much was worthy of higher priority than a traitor, but decided to humour her this time.

"Ozpin has been informed of the White Fang's resurgence, and some of his students who were directly responsible for our failure last time have taken specific interest as well."

_Seriously,_ _he thought._ _That's all?_

The man waved his hand dismissively. "That stupid old man is too passive to take any sort of action against us. He'll just sit behind his desk and order his pawns around like he always has. And if any of those pawns come looking for trouble," the hand that grasped his weapon twitched. "I'll deal with them accordingly."

Raven gave him a long, searching look. "You know, I've always admired your confidence, but this time...I'm worried about how things might play out." Raven was looking at him strangely now. He thought he could see pity hidden somewhere deep behind her expressionless mask.

"What?"

She sighed, drawing her sword. "One of the students in question is Blake Belladonna."

"...I see." The man's voice had become unnaturally hard. "What of it?"

Raven slashed at the air, creating one of her mysterious portals. "Should she get too close to this operation, our leader expects you to do what is necessary." She glanced at him with something that might have passed for sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Adam."

And she was gone, leaving the man alone once more. One hand tightened around his weapon as he ran the other through his red hair, wrestling with the thoughts that had sprung, unwelcome, into his mind.

_Blake. I'd hoped never to see you again after that day. I'd hoped that you could finally find what you had been looking for...whatever it was that we couldn't give you._

_But if I have to tear you down to save my-...our people..._

_I will._

* * *

The nightmares were back.

Every time Blake closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her, she would be brought back to  _that_ day. A day of destruction and chaos, a day of regret.  _The_ day that had changed her life forever.

Once more, she would be forced to re-live the pain of leaving him, forced once more to see the look of betrayal on his face as she severed their connection for good. Again she would know the feeling of simultaneously wanting nothing more than to return to his side, yet also to never see him again. Then she would awake with a start as his silhouette faded from view, hand still outstretched in silent plea.

Then she would find Yang's arms wrapped securely around her, as if trying to ward off the demons that haunted her girlfriend's unconscious mind. But no matter how tightly Yang held her, or how desperately Blake clung to her one source of comfort, the same train of thought would flow through her mind, over and over.

_He's back. He's back, and he's planning something big._

Blake knew he had to be stopped, but did she have the strength to do it on her own? If she found him, how did she know that old feelings wouldn't resurface? How did she know that she would be  _capable_ of seeing him as an enemy?

 _She didn't, but what Blake_ _did_ _know was that she had to find him._ _The Faunus_  looked over at her sleeping girlfriend, who had a small smile on her lips as she snuggled against her kitty-cat.

Blake sighed and buried herself deeper in Yang's embrace, not that it would help to dispel the thoughts that still buzzed around in her head.

_I need to find out where the White Fang is based. Once I do that, I can find Adam, and hopefully I can stop him. But how?_ _That was of course, the main problem Blake faced._

_Raven probably knows, but I'm not sure she'd be willing to talk to us after what Yang pulled last time. I don't even know how to contact her..._

Blake's eyes shot open as she realized...

_Ozpin. She's his spy right? He may not want to tell me anything, but it's the best lead that I've got at this point._

_Blake grimaced._ _Yang will want to come too, but I can't involve her in this, I can't put her at risk like that._

Blake knew that the blonde would go to the ends of the earth for her.

But she didn't want to ask her to.

* * *

Blake woke up early the next morning, so early that even Weiss wasn't awake yet.  _Just as well,_ _Blake thought._ _I don't need any unnecessary interruptions._

The Faunus gently slipped out of her partner's embrace and silently dressed herself. Though a pang of guilt shot through her at the thought of leaving Yang out of her plans, Blake was certain that it was the only option. She couldn't ask Yang to sacrifice anything more for her than she already had, and the fact that Blake knew the blonde unquestioningly  _would_ _sacrifice more,_ only made it worse.

Blake could hear the school begin to wake up as she quickly made way down the silent corridors. Occasional bumps and crashes came from behind closed doors as students stumbled around in their early-morning daze. Blake hoped that Ozpin would be awake this early.

But as she began crossing the courtyard, she couldn't help but smile to herself as a thought came to mind.  _With the amount of coffee he drinks, I wonder if he ever sleeps at all._

"Miss Belladonna, what a pleasant surprise this is. You're up rather early."  _Speak of the devil..._

Blake turned to find the man himself, who conveniently seemed to have gone out for an early morning stroll in the courtyard. "Hello professor, I was actually wondering if I could have a word with you."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at her as he took a long sip from his mug, his eyes seemingly piercing straight through her. "Very well, walk with me."

They rounded a corner which took them to a less conspicuous part of Beacon's courtyard, and Ozpin stopped abruptly. "You want to know where you can find Raven Branwen, is that correct?"

Blake's jaw dropped. "How could you possibly-" Ozpin cut her off.

"It was only a matter of time until you learned of Mr. Taurus's involvement in our enemy's operation, and given what I know of your 'heritage', I believe that it is your intention to confront him." Once again, Blake was astounded at how well-informed the man was, she opened her mouth to speak, but Ozpin wasn't finished.

"When I spoke to Miss Xiao Long about the matter, I specifically advised her not to take any untoward action based on the information Miss Branwen has presented, but given the reputation of team RWBY as a whole, I would be unwise in assuming that anyone will actually listen to that advice." Ozpin's eyes twinkled over his mug as he took another sip. Blake shifted uncomfortably.

"So you'll help me then?" Ozpin sighed pointedly, making his clear his feelings on the matter.

"I can tell you where she will be tonight. It is rare that she elects to share with me her movements, but tonight, I know that she will be meeting with a contact down at the docks, in an abandoned warehouse, specifically number 12."

Quite honestly, Blake had not been expecting him to be this accepting of her plan. Her mind strayed to their private conversation after the incident with Torchwick at the docks., and she couldn't help but wonder of the man knew more of her than he'd originally let on.  _I wouldn't be surprised._

As Ozpin turned to leave, he looked back over his shoulder. "Please Blake, whatever you choose to do with this information, be cautious. I don't believe I need to remind you of how dangerous these people truly are." And he was gone.

_Still rather taken aback by his willingness to assist, it took Blake several moments to rouse herself._

_An old warehouse by the docks. Sounds cliché enough for a secret meeting._

Blake quickly returned to her dorm and slipped back into bed with Yang, hoping that her temporary absence would go unnoticed. She smiled as Yang wrapped her arms back around her and whispered "Hey kitten," clearly still half asleep.

Blake twisted around and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "Shh. Go back to sleep." Yang hummed, pulling her closer.

"Mmmmm, okay." She immediately nodded off.

* * *

The rest of the day passed as more of a blur than anything else, all of Blake's attention focused on the night ahead of her. One major problem presented itself: How would she prevent Raven from immediately leaving as soon as Blake confronted her?

 _It's kind of hard to get information from someone who has the power to disappear at the drop of a hat. I guess I'll just have to make my intentions clear. She seems like at least a semi-reasonable person, and since she took the time to find us before, she must at least_ partly _want the White Fang to fall. I just hope her contact is easy enough to deal with._

As the day wore on, her teammates couldn't help but notice that Blake was being extra quiet, even when compared to her usual standards, but she was able to brush off Weiss and Ruby's concerns by claiming she was "up late last night."

Yang on the other hand, wasn't so easily convinced, and kept pressing Blake for information, partly worried for her girlfriend, partly frustrated that she refused to share whatever it was that was bothering her. After several hours of repeatedly being shut out by the Faunus, the blonde became increasingly distant, and by the time they all returned to their dorm in the evening, she was barely speaking to Blake at all, which broke the girl's heart.

_I'm sorry Yang, but it's for your own good.. Trust me this time._

As the members of team RWBY dropped off one by one, Blake knew that her opportunity to slip away was fast approaching. When she finally heard the snores of her blonde teammate, she silently crawled out of bed and got dressed, making sure to grab Gambol Shroud as she would probably need it. After one final glance down at her partner, she gave the sleeping girl a quick peck on the cheek before opening the window and slipping out into the night.

_I'll be back soon Yang, I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So suspense, much cliffhanger. Chapter was a bit shorter than usual, sorry 'bout that :/
> 
> What did you guys think? Let me know.


	10. Demons (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. So here's another thing. Read it. Like it. Maybe don't like it. Up to you.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> REWRITE:
> 
> Made a lot of changes to the pacing throughout this chapter. Also some minor tweaks to character.

The cold night air whipped through Blake's hair as she ran across the deserted campus of Beacon Academy, the moon and stars providing more than enough light for her sensitive eyes.

Rather than take the long, winding road that snaked its way down the cliffs into the city, Blake opted for the less open route and stuck to the trees, jumping from branch to branch with practiced finesse, occasionally using Gambol Shroud as a grappling hook. This path, however, tended to sacrifice peace of mind for stealth, as the Faunus couldn't help imagine  _some awful creature_ emerging from the black of the forest to grab her and carry her into darkness.

Her mind eased only slightly as she neared bright lights of the city, for she had traded the mysterious shadows of the forest for the blindingly exposed streets.

Blake figured that it would be best not to draw any unnecessary attention to herself, so she found the nearest fire escape that would take her up and away from the light.

As she reached the rooftop, Blake took a deep breath of the cold night air, and as she gazed up at the shattered moon, she couldn't stop her mind from returning to another time. A time of violence and chaos, a time that had, until now, seemed like another life, one that she had left behind.

_Until now._

Smiling sadly, Blake understood the irony of her situation.  _I guess I'm not so different now from how I was. The set has changed, but the script and actors are the same._ The stars stared back at her as she gazed upwards, taunting her with their carefree, twinkling light.

Blake thought of Yang, and she realized that it wasn't entirely true.  _The only difference is that now I have so much to lose, whereas back then, I had everything to gain._ _Blake felt that this was even more reason to not have brought the blonde along._

 _I can't force this life on her,_ she thought as she began her long journey across the city, grimacing because she knew that Yang would gladly choose this life over one without her kitty-cat.

She shook her head to break the reverie, it was essential that she focus on the task at hand. Yang could wait for now. If her days in the Fang had taught her anything, it was that the mission always comes first.

_When did I start thinking of this as a mission?_

* * *

The rooftops were easy enough to traverse, the buildings were close enough to one another that she could jump most gaps, and even when her path was blocked by a particularly wide street, another route was within reach.  _At this rate I'll get there early. Might be able to deal with the contact before Raven even arrives. That would make things considerably easier._

Ten minutes later, she could see the old warehouses looming up out of the darkness, and her heart quickened as she neared her destination.  _Ozpin said 12 didn't he? Of course it's the one at the very end..._

Blake used the rooftop she was currently on to make the large jump over a barbed-wire fence which surrounded the building. She could have easily cut through it with Gambol, but preferred to leave no evidence of her presence.

The area closely resembled where she had first fought Torchwick and the White Fang with Sun and Penny, an event which now seemed like years ago. The only difference being that these buildings were in considerably worse shape than the others had been.

Like a shadow, she slipped past the silent and still buildings until she reached the last one in the row, number 12.

Scanning the structure, she decided it would be best to approach from above, since she'd noticed the roof was covered in broken skylights which would provide easy and discreet access. She quickly scaled the building, and as she peered down into the dark below – her night-vision doing little to pierce the gloom – she felt an old, but familiar feeling...excitement. She was excited at the prospect of her assignment.  _It's just because this is going to help you find Adam, nothing more._ _But there was something else, something more primal. Something that she'd tried so hard to bury deep within._

Blake shook her head.  _No, that isn't who I am anymore. I'm just here to wait, then find out what I need to know._

She didn't have to wait long. Less than three minutes later, her ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps from the black below her.  _Blake figured that it had to be the contact, since Raven would more than likely appear out of one of her strange cloud portals._

She waited until the footsteps had passed right underneath, then drew her weapon and silently dropped down behind whomever it was the noise belonged to. Little thought was given to the fact that she suddenly seemed so prepared to kill, almost as if it would be no effort at all.

Much to Blake's surprised, the footsteps stopped abruptly as she hit the floor, and complete silence descended on the room.  _I don't like this_ _,_ Blake thought as she quickly ducked behind an old storage crate.  _Where did they go?_

"Do you really think you can hide from  _me_ , Blake?" She froze, the question had come from directly behind her.

 _I know that voice. It can't be!_ Spinning around, she lashed out with Gambol Shroud at the voice, but the attack was easily blocked as a blood-red sword flashed from its sheath and knocked the weapon from Blake's hand. A fist lashed out from the darkness, connecting with Blake's jaw and sending her sprawling across the room. She could taste blood in her mouth as she scrambled to pick up Gambol, setting her feet as she struggled to make out the identity of her attacker, but as he stepped into a small pool of moonlight coming through the ceiling, her heart stopped.

He was tall, lean and wiry, clad in a black jacket, red shirt, and black pants. Spiky crimson hair stuck up from above a red-trimmed Grimm mask, accented by dark horn-like appendages.

"Adam...?" Her voice shook, despite her aggressive stance.

"It's been too long, Blake." She couldn't tell if his tone was mocking, or sincere, but either way she didn't care.

"Where's Raven?" She tried to distract both herself and Adam from the cannon-fire in her heart by changing the subject immediately.

"What, I'm not good enough? You're hurting my feelings Blake." Now his tone was definitely mocking, and Blake gritted her teeth.

"Shut up. I'm not in the mood for your shit right now Adam." The bull-faunus sighed audibly, making a show of checking his watch.

"Unfortunately, I have no idea where she is. You see, she's got this really bad habit of showing up late to all of our meetings. It's pretty annoying actually."

Blake had no idea how he could be so casual about this, after all that had happened between them, how he had driven her away with his savagery, how she had betrayed the one man who trusted her. And here he was, acting as if nothing had changed.

Her mind clear and her heart settled, she spoke.

"I've waited so long for the chance to see you again. Do you know why?" Adam simply stared at her.

"I'm listening."

"Because I swore that I would put an end to your violence, your senseless killing. And the only way I can do that...is by killing you!" Her former partner remained unmoved as she charged upon finishing her sentence, clearly hoping to end it as quickly as possible. However, just as she was about to pierce his chest, there was a flash of red, followed by pain.

His sword, Wilt, had sliced right through Blake's protective aura as if it were nothing, blade finding flesh as it left a gash in the girl's side. Adam threw her down again and stood stock still as if waiting for something, his face hard as stone.

"I thought you were here to kill me. Get on with it." He challenged, as Blake stumbled to her feet.

"Fuck you Adam!" She charged again, Adam shaking his head in disappointment.

Wilt flashed from Blush again, blade cutting straight through Blake's path as she left a clone behind and shot off to the side, hoping to catch him off guard and attack his weak side. But she was shocked as a hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her up against a nearby wall.

Adam held her off the ground with one hand, the other still grasping his weapon as he spoke, "Don't you remember that _I_ was the one who taught you to do that?" His voice low and menacing as he tightened his grip on Blake's neck, oxygen quickly abandoning her.

"...Adam," she choked out, "Adam...please."

Hearing her plead like this must have struck a nerve, for his face finally showed some signs of emotion as he dropped her, Blake gasping for air as she slumped against the wall. She still hadn't fully recovered from the night they'd met Raven, and that in addition to her new injuries was taking its toll. She could barely move, let alone continue to fight him.

"Adam..." She began, but fell silent as her former partner spun around and pointed his weapon accusingly at her.

"NO! You lost that right the second you left me on that train!"

His voice had changed. No more mocking, no more menace, just pain, a lot of pain.

"I call my comrades in the White Fang brother and sister, yes, but more out of tradition than any true familial bond." Unsure of where he was going with this, Blake elected to remain silent.

"But you were always that one exception. You were like a sister to me Blake, a sister who left without any explanation!"

_A fresh wave of guilt rolled over the girl as she realized the full extent of how she'd hurt the man who now stood in front of her, filled with anger and resentment._

"Adam, I'm sorr-" She began, but he cut her off violently by slicing a nearby crate in half.

"SHUT UP! You don't get to be sorry, not after what you did! Do you have any idea how much it hurt to see you leave? How much it hurt to know that  _I_ was the one who made you do it?"

_So he did realize why after all. I'd hoped he wouldn't._

"And then you show up here, after all this time," he continued, "with the intention of  _killing_ me, and all you can say is 'sorry'?" Blake's ears flattened, and she knew how hollow her weak attempt at an apology must have sounded. In this case, amends could not be made so easily.

All the same, she chose to make one effort to defend herself, and hope that it was enough to justify her actions.

"I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't stand by and watch you kill innocent people like that! I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't think you'd understand..." Blake tried to stand, but her battered body couldn't support the weight and she crashed back down. "You were always so sure of yourself and your beliefs..."

"You're right, I wouldn't have understood, and I still don't. But long ago there was a time that I respected your decisions as a partner, it just would have been nice for you to tell me before running off." There was bitterness in his voice, a bitterness that Blake never knew he was capable of.

The menace returned as his expression hardened once more into one of businesslike indifference. "But now, things are different. You're in my way this time, and that's something that I can't allow."

Blake was beginning to feel faint.  _I've lost a lot of blood, I won't last long no matter what he decides to do next._

"So do it. Get it over with." Adam hesitated and his hand slackened on the hilt of his weapon, clearly taken aback by the absolute defeat in Blake's voice.

"What are you waiting for? JUST FUCKING DO IT YOU COWARD!" She was answered by a savage kick to the head, pain stabbing through her as her vision blurred.

"You've left me no choice." Adam drew Wilt and steadied himself.

_I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this Blake,_ _he thought._ _I'm sorry._

A strange sound stopped him in his tracks, a sound that Blake clearly recognized as the opening of a large scythe.  _Ruby?_

The world exploded as a man leapt out of the shadows, swinging a massive scythe which was clearly bigger than Crescent Rose.

Adam snarled as he barely avoided the attack, turning tail and running as he yelled back over his shoulder. "I WARNED YOU BLAKE! KEEP OUT OF BUSINESS THAT DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!"

And then he was gone. Vanished into the night.

The man spoke. "Well. Doesn't he seem like a lovely young gentleman. You certainly know how to pick your friends don't you."

Through blurry eyes, Blake studied the man. His outfit was not dissimilar to her young teammate's, he wore a small red cape with a hood, his slightly greying hair was spiked up towards the back in a distinctly bird-like fashion, and he had large combat boots on. The most distinct feature was the massive, black scythe that he carried, similar, yet at the same time different from that of her teammate.

The last thing she noticed was the symbol which he wore on his belt. It looked not unlike a bird's eye, but with a cog instead of an iris.  _Wait, that's the symbol that Yang drew when she first told me about her mother..._

"You're Yang's uncle Qrow aren't you?" The man looked down at her, mildly surprised that she knew who he was.

"Why, quite correct you are young lady. And who might you be?" His head tilted slightly as he spoke,  _definitely like a bird._

"I'm one of your nieces' teammates at Beacon, Blake."

"Ahh I see. And what, may I ask, are you doing here?" He then noticed Blake's injury and the pained expression on her face. "Perhaps another time would be better, right now, we need to see about treating that wound of yours." The Faunus had no argument against  _that_.

As he helped Blake to her feet and slung her arm around his shoulder, their attention was drawn to the appearance of a swirling red vortex.  _Better late than never,_ _was all Blake could think._

As Raven stepped out, she took one look at Blake, one look at Qrow, one look at the large amount of blood on the ground, and sighed.

"I missed something, didn't I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, what did you guys think? Let me know. I love to hear your guys thoughts, so send 'em my way!
> 
> Peace out.


	11. I'm Sorry

It was still the dead of night as Qrow carried the wounded faunus through the winding alleys of Vale, finally stopping before a rusty metal door. Reaching for a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door and kicked it open with a dull clang.

Blake was only semi-conscious at this point. She had lost a lot of blood from the cut in her side, and only partly registered what was happening as her rescuer climbed what seemed like endless flights of stairs before setting her down gently on a sofa. His shadow disappeared, and she could hear wooden doors opening and the clinking of glass as Qrow rooted around in his cupboards for something.

The room had a strange smell to it, something like a mixture of oil and _..._ something _._  Blake's sensitive nose couldn't quite make out the combination of odours.  _Is that gunpowder? Explosives?_

When Qrow came back into view, he was carrying a bottle of what could only be described as resembling battery acid. Blake hissed as he dropped some of the liquid onto her open wound. It stung terribly.

"Oh stop it Miss, it's not that bad, and it's a necessity to avoid any infection, didn't they teach you anything in school?" He began muttering something about 'having a word with Ozpin about the curriculum at Beacon'.

 _Infection? Not likely. Adam always kept Wilt and Blush clean, his most precious possession..._ Blake frowned at where her mind was taking her.  _Am I seriously jealous of a fucking sword now? Damn you Adam..._

She vaguely noticed Qrow pressing a bandage over the gash as she began to slip away. "Rest easy my young friend. You'll be safe here tonight." And with that, darkness took her.

* * *

Blake had no idea how long she slept, but when she awoke, there was light filtering through the curtains of a nearby window.  _There's no way Yang won't have realized that I'm gone by now. I have to get to her, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid._  But Blake knew that it was  _she_  who'd done something stupid, so however Yang decided to act upon realizing she was gone...Blake couldn't help but feel that her actions would be justifiable.

She sighed and took a moment to examine the room she was in. It was clearly old, and rarely used. Everything was coated in a thin layer of dust, but nothing looked dirty, only neglected. On the shelves were odd little objects, more like scraps of metal than anything else. It was clear that the old man was something of a tinkerer.  _I guess Ruby must get it from somewhere._ The next thing she noticed were the stacks of books that lay strewn about the room, she picked up the closest.  _"Third Crusade," wow, that's really rare. Even_ I _haven't read it._  Blake smiled, she was beginning to like old Qrow more and more.

"You can take it with you if you'd like, I've read all of these books more times than I can count." The voice made Blake jump, she hadn't noticed Qrow enter the room.

"Umm, thank you, I will." Blake tried to stand up, but winced as pain shot through her midsection. "That was a nasty wound he gave you, not really life-threatening, but it'll sting for some time." Blake nodded, all too familiar with the kind of damage Wilt could deal out.

_He could have killed me easily when I first charged at him, but he didn't. Why? If he was so adamant that I needed to be disposed of, why not do it when he first got the chance? He's never been one to play with his meal, so what...?"_

"What's troubling you Blake? You seem rather lost in thought at the moment." Blake didn't really feel like explaining her past with Adam, so she played it off.

"It's nothing, don't worry. So, what is this place? I thought you were a teacher at Signal. Why have a house in the middle of Vale?" Blake felt a change in subject would be prudent.

"Oh it's true, I do spend most of my time in Patch, but it always helps to have somewhere to go in a pinch. A hideaway – or something like that. As you may have noticed, however, I don't use it very often."

"Well I can't thank you enough. If you hadn't appeared when you did..." Qrow waved her off.

"Don't mention it my dear. I'm glad to have helped."  _Wait..._

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but what were  _you_  doing at the docks?" Qrow 'tsk'ed lightly.

"Ozpin alerted me that there might be a...situation down at the docks last night. He asked me to keep watch to make sure nothing unsavoury took place, and it seems like a bloody good thing that he did. However, if I may say so, I don't believe that young man would have killed you, no matter what he may have claimed."

Blake looked quizzically at him. "What makes you say that?" Qrow smiled at her.

"Well it's clear that you two have a history. And judging by how he was acting, I think that history may haunt him more than you realize." Blake's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying."

"I'm saying, young lady, that he cares for you." Blake flushed. "Believe me, it's nothing like that."  _How_ could _he...after what I've done?_  Qrow laughed.

"If you say so my dear. Now, I believe it's time we returned you to your home. I've instructed Raven to alert your teammates to your...situation, but I'm sure they'll want to see you for themselves as soon as they can." Blake felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

 _Yang...She wakes up to find I'm gone, then_ Raven _of all people shows up and tells her that, not only did I run off on my own, but I got myself hurt too...Hopefully she doesn't take it too badly._

But Blake knew that she would.

But instead of make Qrow privy of the war in her heart, she simply said. "I didn't think Raven was the type to take orders from anyone." Qrow chuckled at this as he helped the girl to her feet.

"Well, we  _are_  family after all."

* * *

Blake was silent for most of the journey back to Beacon. She couldn't help but worry about Yang, how she'd react when Blake returned.  _I've really fucked up this time. I know that I did it to protect her, but she won't accept that. She would have come with me no matter how dangerous it was. I have to apologize, I just hope she'll forgive me..._

"You've been awfully quiet, I believe I'm beginning to sense a pattern here." Qrow was frowning at her, "I know that something's bothering you Blake, and I  _am_  willing to help." Blake sighed.

"I just...I betrayed the trust of someone I care about. Someone I love, and now I don't know what I could possibly say that might make it better." Qrow nodded.

"Ahh, you must mean my niece." Blake was slightly shocked. "Wha-? How-?" Qrow laughed again.

"A strange family though we are, we still like to butt into each others business. Raven evidently noticed the relationship between you two, and she in turn told me, and I couldn't be happier for Yang and yourself."  _Well, there's one question answered._  Qrow continued. "Now, I know she has an extremely hot-headed nature, but Yang is an incredibly caring person. If she truly loves you, than I have no doubt that she will forgive you for whatever it is you've done."

"I hope so."

* * *

Qrow drew more than a few strange looks as the pair crossed Beacon's campus, though Blake couldn't deny that his appearance was pretty shocking. The long black cape, the crazy hair, the somewhat wild look in his eyes. But Qrow just laughed and smiled at the students, either not realizing or not caring that he must look like some kind of madman, come to kill them all.

Blake felt a pit of nervousness grow in her stomach is they neared team RWBY's dorm, not fully prepared to face her girlfriend after what she'd done. "I'll be in Ozpin's office. Got to fill him in on the evenings...frivolities." Qrow gave her a small smile of encouragement, then he was gone.  _Well, here it goes._  The faunus took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"BLAKE!" A red blur shot across the room and slammed into her. "Ahh!" Ruby had crashed right into her wound.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay? What happened last night? Where did you go?" Blake put her hand over Ruby's mouth to stop the onslaught.

"I'm fine Ruby, it's just a scratch. I'll tell you later."

Her eyes searched the room...

There. Yang was sitting on her bed, staring at Blake as she was accosted by Ruby. Without warning, she jumped down, crossed the room, pushed past Blake and left the room. "Yang, wait! I'm sorry Ruby, Weiss, but I have to go now." Ruby nodded in understanding.

Blake caught up with Yang as she rounded the corner, catching her by the shoulder. "Yang. Please stop. Talk to me." Without a word, Yang, grabbed her and puled her into a nearby maintenance closet, immediately wrapping her in a desperate embrace. "Yang...?" She looked down at her girlfriend to see tears streaming down her face.

"Damn it Blake. Why didn't you tell me you were going? Why didn't you let me help you? I woke up this morning and you gone. No note, no explanation at all. Then fucking  _Raven_ shows up and tells me you went and got yourself hurt again?" Her body shook as she spoke.

"I made a  _promise_ , I would never leave your side, I would always be there for you. Why are you making it so hard for me to keep it?" Blake's heart broke at the pain in Yang's voice, the pure frustration she could hear.

"I...I didn't want to put you in danger, Yang. This is my mess, my former partner who's involved. I don't want to drag you down with me." Yang's eyes briefly flashed crimson as frustration became anger.

"FUCK YOU BLAKE!" She screamed. "You think you're the only one who this affects?  _My mother_  is involved! You have no right to act as if you're the only one who cares about this!" Blake had expected this kind of anger from the blonde.

But that didn't mean she was ready for it. Her eyes began to sting as she realized how stupid she'd been. As she clung tighter to Yang, the tears began to flow.

"I'm sorry Yang. I should have told you, I should have let you in. But I was selfish. I thought that I was the only one who could deal with it, I was so fucking stupid!"

"Yeah, you were." Yang took Blake's face in her hands, tears still leaking down her cheeks as she spoke. "I need you to promise me something Blake. Promise me that no matter what you may think, you will  _always_  tell me when something's wrong. I love you, and I have to be there for you, whether you want me to or not."

The faunus nodded. She gently brushed Yang's tears from her cheeks, giggling slightly when the blonde took Blake's fingers in her mouth, sucking gently.

"Please Blake, I love you, but I need you to trust me." There was that pleading tone again. The one she hadn't heard since that night, now seeming like so long ago.

Blake tilted the brawler's head up, meeting her eyes. "I do trust you Yang. I'm sorry."

Yang smiled brilliantly and pulled Blake down into a kiss, hungrily devouring her girlfriend's mouth, needing the taste and feel of her kitten. Blake growled, hands exploring lower, groping her girlfriend's ass, but Yang stopped her with a hand on her chest. "Later. Right now you have to explain to our friends where you were. They were worried too, just not  _as_ worried." She finished with a wink.

* * *

Ruby listened open-mouthed as Blake recounted the night's events, Weiss merely absorbed the information, and she was the first to speak when Blake had finished.

"You were lucky that Ruby's uncle showed up when he did." Blake grimaced, that was something she'd told herself many times.

"Do you think Adam was really gonna kill you?" Blake shrugged at Ruby's question. "I don't know, either way, I'm not sure he wanted to, and neither is Qrow."

"It doesn't matter if he wanted to or not, you put yourself at unnecessary risk again Blake, and that's something I will not stand for." Blake looked shamefully up at Weiss, "I know, I'm sorry guys. It was a stupid thing to do, and it won't happen again. I promise."

"Hmph, good." Weiss was apparently satisfied. Ruby gave her another, significantly gentler hug.

"Either way, I'm not letting you out of my sight again kitten, so you're stuck with me." Yang had been silent for the entirety of Blake's story, listening with a sour expression as Blake told of her encounter with Adam.

Blake gave the blonde a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I know you're not. So do you have any plans for your prisoner?"

Yang grinned at her girlfriend. "A few."


	12. Quality Time

Yang jumped up dragging Blake with her. "Blake and I are going out. Should be back pretty late so don't stay up for us." Weiss looked mildly annoyed at that.

"As long as you're quiet when you get back, and don't try anything...funny." Yang winked at the heiress. "No promises Ice Queen." Blake just shrugged apologetically.

"Have fun you guys!" Ruby called after the pair as they left the dorm.

"So where are we going?" Blake asked as the blonde led her down the hallway, out into the sunshine. "Oh, I don't know, wherever our feet take us. I just want to spend some time with my kitty-cat." Blake grimaced at the nickname.

"Yang, I know you really like that I'm a cat-faunus and all, but if you could ease up on the endearing pet names, I'd appreciate it. Especially in public." Yang grinned and took Blake's hand.

"Not on your life, kitten." The faunus sighed and accepted the cruel fate that she was doomed to.  _Not sure what I expected, at least she isn't calling me a freak, like so many others would._

Their journey down the long road into Vale was decidedly more pleasant than Blake's had been the night before. The sun shone down on them as they walked, hand in hand, the warm rays helping to sooth the faunus's pained spirit after her ordeal.

Blake began to wish that they'd done something like this sooner.  _Everything's been so crazy since that first night. Raven showing up, then my injury, then Adam...We've never had the chance to just be a couple, without other things getting in the way._ She felt Yang give her hand a squeeze. "What's wrong Blake?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that we've never been on an actual date. It's nice." This made the blonde coo.

"Aww, Blakey, that's so sweet. I never figured you for the romantic type." The faunus huffed. "I never did either, with good reason, but something's different now. I'm blaming this on you," she teased. Yang giggled, putting her arm around Blake's waist, pulling her closer. "I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you, kitten. Don't forget that  _you're_  the one who came running after me in the forest." Blake scoffed and spun out of reach.

"Yeah, but  _you're_ the one you told me that you loved me first." The brawler's eyes widened, then narrowed mischievously. "So that's how you want to play it? I see how it is." She grabbed Blake and shoved her up against a nearby tree, arms trapping the girl.

"Don't forget that it was  _you_  who were practically begging me to fuck you later that day." With that, she crashed her lips into Blake's, kissing her fiercely. The raven-haired girl pulled away, whispering in Yang's ear.

"But you don't seem to remember that  _you're_ the one that I had to tie up."

"Oh, I remember that just fine." Yang hummed, "But overall, I think title for most "I love you"s has to belong to you, kitten." Blake purred and pulled her back in.

"I love you, Yang." She whispered into the blonde's lips. "So I've been told. Many times." Yang giggled and tangled her fingers in Blake's hair. They stayed locked together for what must have seemed like several lifetimes, eventually breaking apart for air, their cheeks flushed.

"I love you too Blake." The faunus smiled and nipped her partner's nose. "Come on, we haven't even started the date yet, and we're already making out, doesn't that usually come  _afterwards_?" Yang smiled and pulled Blake with her as she started back along the road.

"I guess that must mean that I've got great game."

* * *

They wandered aimlessly through the bustling streets, content just to be in each-others company for now, taking in what Vale looked like on a normal day, when things weren't exploding all around them.  _I guess Sun had a point._ Blake grinned.

Eventually, Blake became very aware of the fact that she hadn't eaten anything since dinner the evening before. "Uhh, Yang. Can we get some food? I'm starving." The blonde pecked her on the cheek. "Sure Blake, anywhere in particular you had in mind?"

"Preferably somewhere that serves fish."

* * *

They found the nearest restaurant and sat in the outdoor patio, looking out onto the street. Blake sighed and sank into her chair as she watched the passers-by. Crowds of people filled the pedestrian roads, some out for weekend shopping, others sightseeing, and some out as couples, smiling and walking hand in hand.  _Is that what Yang and I look like? All...'together'? Probably._ Blake smiled to herself, remembering the day when she found Yang out in the forest, what she'd said.  _I still can't believe that she ended up loving me too._

"What's so funny kitten?" The blonde asked, noticing the grin on her girlfriend's face.

"Just thinking that we must really look like a couple right now...not that that's a bad thing!" She hastily added as a skeptical look crossed Yang's face. "I just, never believed that I would be saying that about  _us._ I never let myself believe that you would love me too." The brawler smiled gently and leaned across the table to cup Blake's cheek.

"Well I do, Blake. I love you, so believe it already." That gave the faunus an idea.

"Why?" Yang frowned at the playful expression that flashed across Blake's face. "Why what?"

"Why do you love me? I want to know."

"Well, aren't you the little narcissist." She took Blake's hand in her own. "I love how you're so calm when faced with a challenge, I love how you're such a badass when you meet that challenge. I love how adorable you are when you cuddle with me, I love your cat ears and the way you purr when you're happy. I love how beautiful you are, without even trying. But most of all, I love how you love me too."

Blake responded with a soft kiss to Yang's lips, pulling away just as suddenly as she'd planted it. Yang was not impressed. "That's all? I believe you owe  _me_  something now." Blake smirked.

"I will, when you've earned it," she teased. Yang answered by trapping one of the faunus's legs with her own under the table. "If you say so kitten, but you might end up regretting that later."

The waiter chose that moment to arrive, Blake ordering the filet of tuna, while Yang chose the spiciest chicken wings they had. They sat in companionable silence as they waited for their food, Yang's legs occasionally finding their way to Blake's as she teased her girlfriend.

Blake's nose finally caught a whiff of something heavenly.  _Finally._ As the steaming plates came into view, the faunus couldn't help it as her mouth began to water, and the moment the fish was set down on front of her, she attacked without mercy, Yang giggling as she did so.

Blake looked up from her plate a minute or so later to see wing sauce smeared all across her partner's lips. Yang held out a wing. "You want one?" The faunus shook her head, preferring the delicate taste of fish to the sting of spice, the sensation too much for her heightened senses.

"I actually prefer to eat food that  _doesn't_  hurt when I put it in my mouth, believe it or not." Yang smirked. "Oh, I'm fully aware of what you like to put in your mouth Blake, believe me."

Blake turned beet red and looked around to make sure no one had heard that.  _Damn it Yang._  The blonde was giggling again at how uncomfortable she could make the girl. Blake frowned. "Very funny."

"Yeah, it was. You're too sensitive kitten." Yang still smirking slightly.

They finished their meals and paid. As they were leaving the restaurant, Blake noticed that Yang still had some sauce on her lips and cheeks. That gave her an idea. She pulled Yang into a nearby alley, so they had some relative privacy.

"Blake. What are you doing?" Yang sounded partly confused, partly amused at her girlfriend's antics.

"You don't seriously expect me to let you go out in public like  _that,_ do you?" Then without warning, she started to clean Yang's face with her tongue, starting with long licks up her cheeks, then moving to her lips, making sure not to miss a spot. The fiery burn of spice mixed with the sweetness of Yang's skin as the blonde kissed back, Blake cleaning her lips with her tongue.

She broke off when she was satisfied that her girlfriend was now presentable, and leading her back out into the street, she rolled her eyes as Yang said, "Well, that was  _hot._ "

* * *

A while later, as they crossed a small park in the middle of downtown Vale, Blake's ears picked up shouting from across the park. As the pair approached, they saw a man standing on a bench, shouting at a small crowd of people.

"-scum come into  _our_  cities, take  _our_  jobs and contaminate our way of life with their filth! We must make it clear to them, that they are not and never will be welcome here. Those faunus are nothing but parasites, feeding off of humanity's generosity, but no more, the time is now-" Blake's heart sank as she saw the crowd nodding in agreement with his words.

Looking up at Yang, she saw that her girlfriend's eyes were glazed with red as she listened to the bigot preach. "Wait here," she growled, beginning to walk towards the man, equipping Ember Celica. Blake grabbed her arm.

"Yang wait, please don't." The blonde whirled on her partner, snarling. "You just expect me to watch as he insults the faunus, insults you?" Blake gently embraced her girlfriend, hoping to douse the flames. "Yeah, I do. I'm sorry Yang, I know it's hard, but I'm used to it at this point. Violence only begets more violence, that was one thing that all those years in the White Fang taught me. If you go over there now and attack him on our behalf, it will only serve to worsen people's opinion of the faunus."

"But I can't just do  _nothing..._ " Some of the fight was gone from Yang's voice, and replaced by desperation, but she allowed Blake to gently lead her away. "I'm sorry Yang, just do this for me. Please." The blonde sighed and allowed herself to be pulled away.

"Fine, but now it's up to you to burn off all of my extra energy." Yang said, putting her arm back around Blake's waist.

"I'm sure I'll think of something."

* * *

A man sat high on a building, overlooking the docks. He checked his watch, impatient.  _It's late, fantastic, this better not interfere with our operation._

As he stared out to sea, he could finally make out a puff of smoke on the horizon.  _Finally._


	13. Big Day

The pair continued their aimless wanderings through the city, and eventually found themselves down at the docks. Blake took a deep breath of the ocean, smiling as a light breeze danced its way through her hair.

Yang, on the other hand, was not enjoying herself quite as much. "Ugh, it smells terrible down here! Come on Blake, let's go somewhere else." Blake took her partner's hand and pulled her away so they were both leaning up against a railing overlooking the harbor.

"Come on, it's not that bad. My nose is a lot more sensitive than yours, so if I can stand it, you can too." Yang remained unconvinced. "Come on, only for a few minutes, I can see a ship coming in to dock, I'd at least like to watch  _that_. Please?"

Yang looked out to sea, and saw a puff of smoke on the horizon. "Alright kitten, I'll allow it, but you owe me for this." She said with a wink.

Blake sighed. "Seems I owe you quite a bit after the past few hours, not sure how I feel about that." Yang smirked and leaned in, whispering in Blake's ear.

"I know how you  _will_  feel about it later." Blake's ears twitched as her face reddened, Yang lightly pecking her cheek.

After a few minutes of silence, Yang spoke again. "Hey Blake, you like fish right? Like, a lot?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that." The faunus struggled to figure out where her partner was going with this.

"So, my question is: Would you eat a Marinor?" Blake's eyes widened.

"A marine Grimm?" Yang nodded. Blake had heard of the beasts, but never actually seen one, she hadn't been sure that they even existed.

"I don't know, if it tasted good, sure. Why do you ask?"

"I have." Blake was shocked.

"You've eaten Marinor? How? I've never even seen one, what does it look like?" Yang put a hand over Blake's mouth.

"Easy there kitten, I'm going to tell you, jeez." Blake gave Yang's hand a kiss to let her know she could continue. "One day when I was younger, I was walking along the coast of Patch, and I found one that had washed up on a beach. It was big, really big. Maybe not as long as a Deathstalker, but probably bigger than an Ursa Major. It actually kind of looked like a crocodile, but with big flippers instead of legs, it was pretty frightening at first. You could tell from the way its teeth were angled and pointed that it would be really dangerous in the water, it could easily bite you in half."

Blake tried to imagine being out in the ocean, knowing that those things lived there, and could drag you down to the depths at any point. She shivered,  _well, I guess I'm not going swimming any time soon._ She looked back out to sea, the fresh air suddenly not as inviting as before. The ship was getting closer, and she could make out its cargo.  _Looks like a dust shipment, a big one too. Wait-_  Turning back to Yang, "And you  _ate_  it?" Yang shrugged.

"I was hungry, and it was already dead, so I started a fire and roasted one of its fins. Pretty sure it evaporated in my stomach anyway, cause I was still hungry afterwards." Yang grinned.

Blake just shook her head. "You really are crazy."

"Aww, I love you too." Yang turned Blake's head and pulled her into a kiss, the faunus sighing into her lips. They broke apart, and Blake rested her head on Yang's shoulder, purring softly. The ship was about to enter the harbor, she could see the crew readying the lines that would moor the massive vessel. She thought of Sun, who had stowed away on a similar ship, for no apparent reason as it seemed, she giggled lightly.

"What's so funny Blakey?"

"Just thinking about the last time we were here. How Sun suddenly showed up in our lives." Yang groaned.

"Could we avoid talking about exes on our first date, kind of tactless there kitten."

Blake huffed. "He's not my ex Yang, all we did was go to one dance together, that's all."

"But you  _did_  have feeling for him at one point, I know you did." Blake sighed and looked back out across the harbor.

"I think I like the idea of liking him. Maybe it's because we're both faunus, shared life experience, or something. He was there for me when I ran out on you guys," she noticed the forlorn expression on Yang's face, "But you're here for me now Yang, you've always been there for me. That's one of things I love about you..." Yang was smirking now.

"Go on," the blonde prompted devilishly. Blake rolled her eyes. Her attention briefly strayed to the ship that had now pulled in to dock at the far end of the harbor several blocks away at this point. The crew threw lines to workers on the dock, who were in turn tying the lines down. She turned back to Yang.

"I love how strong you are, not just physically, but emotionally. Your strength and resilience rub off on me. I love how kind and accepting you are, the fact that someone could  _adore_  my faunus heritage was unthinkable until I met you. I love your jokes, no matter how bad they are sometimes. I love how confident you are, not to mention your ridiculously sexy body." Amber met lavender as they stared into each-others eyes. "I love you Yang."

Yang pulled her girlfriend into an embrace, and their lips met again. "I love you too."

And in that moment, the world caught fire.

* * *

Ruby couldn't believe she'd let Weiss rope her into studying on the weekend. Weekends, in her opinion, were for relaxing, training, tinkering with her weapon. Yet here she was, in the library, pouring over a mountain of textbooks with her partner.

"Ruby!" The girl's head snapped up, she'd been nodding off again. "Pay attention! This test is really important for our final mark in Grimm studies, and I refuse to let my partner get a sub-standard grade. Now, tell me about the migration patterns of Beowolves."

"Uhh-"  _Crap, I've barely been paying attention in class, I have no clue how Beowolves migrate..._ "The migration patterns of Beowolves are..." Weiss nodded for her to continue.

That was when they heard it. A sound like far-away cannon-fire, followed by a small tremor that rumbled through the school. "That sounds bad. Come on Weiss, we have to check it out!" Ruby popped out of her seat, dragging her partner along.

They shot across the courtyard towards the landing pad which was already packed with students. A few people screamed, a few people cried, most people were silent. The girls manged to push their way to the front of the crow, and their jaws dropped at the sight before them.

A massive column of smoke was rising out of the city, dark, angry clouds billowing upward as if trying to escape whatever destruction had given birth to them. They could hear the distant wail of Vale's emergency sirens, but since no huntsmen or huntresses were being mobilized, it couldn't be Grimm this time.

Ruby grabbed her partner's sleeve and yanked her down the road, "Come on, we have to make sure Yang and Blake are okay!"

Weiss nodded. Grimm, her teammates could handle, but whatever had happened, it was certainly not Grimm.

* * *

Blake's vision swam, her ears rang, her head felt like it might split in two. She had been thrown backwards by the force of the blast, and now lay on the ground, dazed and disoriented. The one thing that made itself all too apparent was the screaming. It was everywhere. _It must be really bad...Yang!_  She searched frantically for her partner.

"Blake? Are you alright?" Yang's called out fearfully from the gloom, the faunus breathed a sigh of relief.  _She's conscious at least._ _  
_

"Yeah, I think so." Blake crawled her way over to her girlfriend, coughing as she breathed in the dust-filled air. "What about you?"

"Just great, what the fuck happened?" Yang stood up slowly, gently lifting Blake up with her. The air was beginning to clear a bit, and they could begin to see the harbor through the haze. Blake gasped at the scene that presented itself.

It looked like hell had taken up residence at the Vale shipyard. Across the harbor, lay the smoking carcass of what used to be the dust freighter, raging fires still burning and sending acrid clouds into the sky. The blast had ripped through an entire block in every direction. Cars were flipped, shop windows were smashed,  _everything_  was on fire, it seemed.

Bodies of unfortunate bystanders were strewn throughout the street, to say nothing of the dock workers who had been hit first. Yang looked down at Blake to see tears streaming down her face.  _All those innocent people, gone._  She buried her face in Yang's chest, the blonde stroking her hair comfortingly as they wept together.

"It had to be the White Fang. No one else is capable of something like  _this_." Blake's conviction absolute.

Yang looked down at her. "You know it  _could_  have been an accident, but I know you won't accept that."

Fire crews were arriving, attempting to quell the raging flames before they spread to nearby buildings.  _There's no way an accident could be this destructive,_ Blake thought. _This was planned, and I think I know who planned it, he's always had a flair for the dramatic._

"YANG! BLAKE!" The girls turned to see Ruby and Weiss sprinting towards them, faces etched with worry. The younger girl slammed into her sister. "Are you okay? What happened?" Yang gave her little sister a comforting squeeze. Weiss only stared, horrified at the destruction.

"I'm fine Ruby, we don't know exactly what happened, but I'm sure Blake has a pretty good idea." Blake nodded as both girls looked expectantly at her.

"I think the White Fang blew up that dust freighter, it's too perfect to have not been premeditated." Her voice was hollow, deadened by the weight of what had just happened.

Weiss rounded on the girl. "There's nothing perfect about this! How could you say something like that!"

"Hey, don't talk to Blake like that! You know what she meant so stop acting like she wanted this to happen." Yang was quickly heating up.

"Guys! Please stop fighting, we all know what the real problem is here." Ruby slipped into the role of leader immediately.

Blake spoke next. "She's right, we need to find out exactly what happened here. What caused the ship to explode?" She glanced over, the emergency crews had managed to douse most large fires, but the corpses certainly didn't add to the feeling of victory. "If it  _was_  the White Fang, how did they sneak explosives into a heavily guarded dust shipment?"

"Hey! Are you girls alright?" Someone shouted behind them. They turned to see paramedics rushing to the scene, one breaking off and approaching the group. "Are any of you hurt?"

"No, we're fine," Yang reassured him, "But I can't say the same for some people," she finished sadly.

The paramedic nodded somberly. "I understand, this really is devastating. I'm not sure how quickly we'll be able to recover from this. Either way, you shouldn't be here anymore, I suggest you go home and get some rest." With that, he ran to join his coworkers, running to the far end of the docks.

"How many people died, do you think?" Ruby asked quietly as they began to walk away.

Blake shook her head. "Too many, I'll make sure they pay for this." Yang put an arm around her.

" _We. We_ 'll make sure they pay for this," the blonde corrected. Blake nodded and held Yang close as they walked away, Ruby and Weiss surprisingly taking up a similar position.

_I think it's time we had a chat with Raven._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Plot! Nay! Large-scale destruction!
> 
> Yeah, I was the guy who posted the marine Grimm thing on Reddit. Inspiration is liopleurodon in case anyone's curious.
> 
> Did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know!
> 
> Peace out.


	14. Silence

The four girls slowly made their way back through the city, their complete silence in stark contrast to the chaos into which Vale had been plunged. Sirens wailed, emergency vehicles raced through the streets, the population was thrown into panic and confusion.

Blake looked around helplessly, there was nothing any of them could do this time. There were no hordes of Grimm to be killed, no evil villains to be stopped. There was only what had happened, and no matter how much they may want to, they can't change the past. All that could be done now, was to catch those responsible, and prevent any more catastrophes from happening in the future.

_Tell that to the families of the dead..._

The journey up the long road to Beacon was too quiet. The forest was mockingly peaceful, its trees blissfully ignorant of any tragedy, of the lives lost and destroyed. As they neared the school, they could see the crowds of students milling about, some crying, some quietly discussing the tragedy, some simply staring into space, as if seeking an answer to some unspoken question.

"Hey guys! Over here!" The girls turned to see Jaune waving them over to where he stood with his team, all of who's faces were etched with concern. Even Nora was silent and solemn. As they approached, his voice dropped, fearful of wandering ears. "What happened? Are you guys okay?"

Yang nodded, "We're fine but...there was an explosion, a big one. It looked like a Dust freighter, and the Dust must have fuelled the blast. A lot...people died...a lot of them..."

Pyrrha's hand went to her mouth in shock as tears began to well in her eyes. "How horrible." Jaune put a comforting arm around her. "Does anyone know how it happened?" She asked.

Yang shook her head. "Nothing concrete, only theories at this point, but-" Blake cut her off.

"I'm sorry, we'll talk to you guys later. Right now, Yang and I need to see Ozpin, urgently." Yang nodded in agreement with her girlfriend. Ruby looked none too pleased about being left out, but a head shake from Weiss discouraged her from pushing the envelope.

* * *

The halls of Beacon were unusually silent, most students either outside, or with their teams, discussing the explosion. They must have passed a grand total of two people on their way to the elevator, and while Blake would normally find the silence a welcome change, today, she only found it saddening.

Yang still hadn't let go of her hand as they stepped into the elevator, and as the door shut, Blake yanked on the blonde's arm, pulling her into the faunus's arms.

"Hey, what's this for kitten?"

"Thank you...for being here." In response, Yang tilted her girlfriend's chin up, and met her lips.

"Always."

* * *

"Ah, I had expected you would want a word, please come in." Ozpin motioned for them to sit across for him. "How are you feeling? I'm sure today's events must have been rather trying for the both of you."

"We're fine, professor, but we needed to talk to you, it's important." Ozpin raised an eyebrow above his mug.

"Very well, I'm listening."

Blake spoke first. "About the explosion today...I think it was the White Fang, something about it...it just seems too conveniently timed and executed for it to have been an accident."

Ozpin nodded. "I've come to the same conclusion myself, but however likely it may seem, until we have concrete evidence, it would be unwise to...leap without looking, as it were." Blake growled.

"How can you say that? People have died! We have to do something! What about Raven, she must have known about this, we have to talk to her, find out what s-" Ozpin silenced her.

"Believe me, Miss Belladonna, I would love nothing more than to do just that. However, it seems that Miss Branwen has disappeared, and as I've no direct means of communicating with her, I'm afraid we cannot rely on her help this time."

Blake deflated in her chair.  _Shit._ "Well we have to do  _something_!"

"I agree, Blake. I have asked Qrow to look into the matter. While he may not be as close to the operation as Raven, I have faith he will be able to assist us. I'm afraid that is the best we can do at the moment." Yang flared.

"You expect us to just sit and wait?" Ozpin looked sharply at her.

"Yes, Miss Xiao Long, I do. Given the gravity of the situation, not to mention what happened the last time one of you attempted to solve this alone, I cannot allow you to take any rash action. If you do, I assure you, this time there will be consequences." Yang growled, clearly not satisfied. "I'm sorry Yang, we will find these people, I promise. But this time we must have a plan in place beforehand, that is the best I can do. You two may go now."

Blake nodded curtly, dragging Yang along with her as she hastily exited the office. As the elevator doors closed, she spoke.

"He's right Yang, it doesn't make sense to charge in blind again, if we do...I'm afraid of what might happen."

Yang scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I can take your ex boyfriend if we ran into him." Blake flushed.

"Dammit Yang, he wasn't my boyfriend, he was my partner, you've really got to get a handle on this jealously thing. Adam is a lot more dangerous than you know," She wrapped her arms around the brawler, "and I don't want to risk losing you Yang, so please, let's be patient, for once."

"Alright kitten, for you." Yang reached up to scratch at Blake's ears, the faunus purring slightly at the contact, making Yang giggle. "You're so adorable, Blakey, I think I'm entitled to be jealous when you're involved." She leaned in closer, "but don't think I've forgotten what you owe me."

Blake smirked, and began placing light kisses from the blonde's collar bone up to her ear, whispering "Don't worry, I know  _exactly_  what I owe you."

* * *

They entered the team RWBY dorm to find Weiss leaning against the windowsill, arms crossed. "Well, what happened, spill it." She sat down on her bunk, Ruby beside her, and motioned for the pair to sit across from them.

Yang spoke first. "Ozpin's being his usual, passive self, and he refuses to take action until we're better informed."

Blake continued. "And it seems that Raven has dropped off the face of Remnant, so now all we have is Qrow, and we don't know how long it'll be until we have a solid idea of what we're up against."

"So basically it's a waiting game." Yang sounded none too pleased about it.

"Well I agree with Ozpin, we have to be ready this time. Blake running off like that to try and take care of it on her own was a foolish move." That came from Weiss.

Blake looked suspiciously at her teammate. "What do you mean 'we'?" Ruby rolled her eyes.

"You don't seriously expect us to let you two do this on your own, do you? Teams at Beacon have four people for a reason, you know." Weiss nodded vigorously in agreement with their leader.

Blake smiled at her team. "Thanks guys."

* * *

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, and most students decided to turn in early after the day's events. Darkness descended on Beacon, and Blake took the opportunity to pull out the book that Qrow had given to her, "Third Crusade". Immediately losing herself in the pages, she barely noticed when her teammates began to drop off, and kept reading into the early hours of the morning. To her surprise, upon turning the first page of the book's penultimate chapter, a note fell out into her lap. Written hastily were three words:

_**Rooftop. Come alone.** _

_What is this? Raven maybe? I guess she really_ doesn't  _like talking to Ozpin. She wants me to come alone, so does she still not trust Yang to keep her composure? Can't say I completely blame her..._

And it was thus that Blake found herself – for the second time in as many nights – creeping silently out of her dorm room, into the unknown.

_What does she want? Maybe she knows where the White Fang is after all, and finally has a good enough reason to share it. If what happened today isn't a good enough reason to take them down, I don't know what is._

Blake shivered, the night was chilly, and she hadn't even put shoes on, nor brought Gambol Shroud.  _That might have been a mistake._

The note had been decidedly vague about which roof, so she assumed that it would be the most accessible, namely Jaune and Pyrrha's current training area. As she opened the door and stepped out into the moonlight, she froze. It wasn't Raven who had summoned her...

"Hello Blake." His voice was soft, strangely so.

"What do you want? Are you here to try killing me again?" Her voice dripped with spite.

"No, actually, I'm not. Surprised?" He remained steadfast, his slender frame silhouetted against the moon, giving him an eerie, yet oddly calm air. His tone held none of the anger or pain it had at their last meeting, but was calm and measured.

"Yeah, I am, seeing as you've already started a nice little trend for yourself today." Blake spat the words out.  _He's got some fucking nerve, showing up now of all times._

"What?" His confusion sounded genuine, but Blake wasn't buying it.

"How dare you come here after what you did today!" Her fists clenched, her teeth ground together.

"Blake, wait, I don't thin-" She cut him off.

"All those innocent lives gone, ended, and it was you who ended them!" She was shouting now, tears forming in her eyes.

"Blake will you listen, that wasn't me!" Adam's voice rose with every word. "Our plan was to hijack the ship not blow it up! What would killing hundreds of civilians have accomplished?" Blake stared up it him.

"What...what do you mean?" She was thoroughly confused now.

"I mean, that wasn't me. I didn't blow that ship up, nor do I find any satisfaction in knowing that it  _did_ blow up." Still calm.

You've never seemed to have a problem with it before." She said bitterly.

Adam sighed, and slowly began walking towards her. "Back when we were together, what was it you always said, 'Violence only begets more violence'?" He chuckled humorlessly. "I never took you seriously, I thought it was just some dumb philosophical view, the teachings of those long since dead. But when you left, I guess...you gave me a new perspective on what I was really doing. Over time I began to realize just how right you had been..." He was close now, eyes downcast.

"Adam..." Blake's voice was soft.  _Could he really have changed like that, because of_ me _?_

"Blake, please believe me. I didn't want that explosion to happen, today was a careless and unnecessary waste of life." Somehow, Blake knew that he was sincere, he was telling the truth.

The girl walked up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "So then help me, help us. I want to take down whoever's responsible, and I think you do too." Adam shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, no matter what happened. I may have changed my methods, but I still believe in the White Fang, I always will, and I can't betray my cause like that." Adam's voice was absolute, there would be no changing his mind tonight.

"Then why didn't you kill me that night? You kept saying that I was in your way, that it had to be done. It would have been easy." He smiled – a rarity – and placed both hands on her shoulders, pressing their foreheads together.

"Ever since that day on the train, I hoped that you had found whatever life it was that you were looking for, whatever life that I...we couldn't give you." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "And now that you have, I can't be so cruel as to take that away from you." He broke away, and walked towards the edge of the roof, turning back as he reached it.

"Nor you away from her." With that he disappeared.

"Adam, wait-" But he had vanished into the night, and her calls went unanswered.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes as she walked back to her dorm.

_Why am I crying?_


	15. Deep Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourselves, ships coming into port. (Hopefully they don't explode this time *wink*)

After the chaos of the past few days, the return to normal classes came as both a welcome relief, and a harsh reminder of what lay ahead. Once Qrow returned with enough information on the White Fang's operation, there would be no hesitation from team RWBY, their path was clear. It was the calm before the storm, Yang knew that they were waiting on the edge of a fight that they couldn't escape, which was in some ways worse than the fight itself. However, she also knew that they couldn't dwell on what lay ahead, they still had grades to keep up, classes to attend, Faunus to fu-

"Yang, you're drifting again." The Faunus in question snapped her fingers in front of Yang's eyes, who's attention snapped back into focus. The two were sitting in the library, trying – and failing – to study for an upcoming Grimm Studies exam.

 _Oh, if only she knew where I was drifting to,_ Yang smirked to herself,  _then_   _she might change her tune._  The Faunus idly brushed a stray strand of hair from in front of her eyes, and the brawler giggled as it immediately fell right back to where it was.

"What's so funny." Blake's eyes narrowed.

Yang reached over and tucked the strand behind her girlfriend's ear, lightly caressing her cheek as she pulled her hand away. "You. Your so adorable, how do you expect me to study with you sitting there looking all gorgeous and shit."

"Really Yang, try to express some minimal measure of self-control, we have to study right now..." Blake trailed off as Yang slowly started stroking her thigh under the table.

"Bah, life's too short to worry about grades, so what do you say we go somewhere more...private." Yang purred the last word out, hand reaching higher on her partner's leg.

Blake blushed, her mind quickly delving to...less proper places, but she shook her head violently. "Not right now Yang, seriously."

The blonde pouted. "Fine, you're no fun." However, there was no mistaking the mischievous glint in her eye.  _I'll make her fun soon enough._

They dove back into the books, going over notes and testing each other's knowledge for at least another hour, before Yang finally had had enough. She leaned back in her chair and sighed extremely audibly. "Alright Blakey, that's enough for one day. What time is it?"

"4:30, we've only been here for an hour and a half, Yang." Blake's yawn betrayed her true feelings, she was just as fed up as her partner.

"That's fine, what even is studying, am I right? Now come on!" Blake yelped as Yang grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the library.

Blake had expected Yang to drag her up to the dorm room, so naturally, it came as a slight surprise when the blonde led her out the main doors of Beacon, and down the road into Vale.

"Yang, where are we going?" The Faunus was slightly flustered as she struggled to keep up with her girlfriend's pace.

In response, Yang put a finger to Blake's lips. "You'll see."

Instead of turning south, into the city, Yang turned north, towards Forever Fall. _She's taking me to a forest, really?_

They emerged at the top of a cliff overlooking the forest, and Blake couldn't help but gasp at the sight.

The setting sun shone down on crimson trees, setting them ablaze with orange and red. It was as if the entire forest had suddenly caught fire, the falling leaves shining like sparks as they drifted to the ground. A gentle breeze kicked up, branches bending back at its passing, the leaves dancing, and only serving to fuel the would-be flames.

"Yang, it's-" Blake didn't think she needed to finish.

"Yeah, I know. Better than studying, right?"

Blake nodded. Their eyes met, and immediately, lips found one-another. Blake wrapped her arms around Yang's neck, pulling her closer while tugging at her bottom lip, hoping to deepen the kiss. She was disappointed when Yang pulled away.

"Patience, kitten." The blonde smirked at Blake's annoyance, and before she could react, Yang picked the Faunus up and threw her off the cliff, immediately jumping to follow her.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Blake screamed.

"LANDING STRATEGY! I'VE BEEN TOLD CATS ALWAYS LAND ON THEIR FEET." Yang yelled back, eyes dancing with mirth.

Blake glared at her, before expertly twisting in mid-air and grappling onto a large branch with Gambol Shroud. She swung easily to the ground, tucking and rolling on impact, standing up to dust herself off.

Yang on the other hand, was not as graceful. Her descent involved several explosions, broken trees and scorch marks everywhere, but eventually she ended up, grinning, beside her girlfriend. "That was fun!"

Blake glowered at her. "For you maybe."

Yang wrapped her arms around Blake's mid-section and rested her chin on the girl's shoulder. "Aw, can you forgive me Blakey?" She pouted, and Blake smirked.

"We'll see."

* * *

The sun dipped below the horizon as they wandered deeper into the forest, faint rays of pink in the sky the only reminder of its presence. Blake wound her arm around Yang's waist, pulling her closer for warmth.

"We're here." Yang smiled down at Blake as they entered a clearing. The moon shone down, bathing the leaf-covered ground in its gentle glow. Their feet sank ever so slightly into the mossy turf under its coating of red.

"Yang, it's pretty and all, but why did you bring me here?"

"We're here because I want to make love to you in the moonlight, kitten." Yang grimaced at the corniness of her own line. "And I believe you still owe me."

Blake grinned. "That was both the most romantic and least romantic thing I've ever heard. Congratulations, you've broken logic."

Yang, took her partner's chin. "Only for you, Blake." With that, she swept the Faunus's legs out from under her and gently lowered her to the soft ground.

* * *

"Where on Remnant are they?" Weiss fumed. It was getting close to midnight, and her teammates still hadn't returned.

"I'm sure they're fine, they probably just wanted some time alone." Ruby was sprawled on her bunk, chin resting on her hands.

Weiss turned to her partner. "They've had plenty of time alone already, I just hope that wherever they are now doesn't decide to explode as well. I mean, what could they possibly be doing all the time?"

Ruby cocked an eyebrow. "Seriously? What do you  _think_  they're doing..."

Weiss flushed. "Oh, right...well I suppose...they should still tell us where they plan on going, and when they plan on coming back..." The heiress trailed off as she noticed Ruby giving her an odd look. "What?"

"Weiss, have you ever...been with anyone?" The younger girl's tone was one of genuine curiosity.

"Well...I...of...of course I have!" Weiss spluttered, but she sighed as her teammate clearly wasn't buying it. "No, Ruby, I haven't. I told you all before: Guys have only ever cared about the perks of my last name, I never had any sort of meaningful connection to anyone."

Ruby's eyes were wide, and her voice was little more than a whisper. "So...you've never kissed anyone?" Weiss shook her head. "But, you're so pretty...has no one ever said that to you?"

"No one, until now, I guess." Weiss smiled sheepishly as Ruby blushed.

"Well, do you want to kiss someone?" Ruby's face matched her cape as she finished the sentence.

"What? You? Uhh...I..." Weiss's eyes widened.

"I mean, if you don't want to...I've never kissed anyone either and...sorry." Ruby buried her face in her sheets to hide her embarrassment.

"Ruby?" The younger girl looked up. Weiss was close now, and Ruby's breath hitched as she leaned in slowly. After what seemed like at least four eternities, their lips met, ever so gently.

_Weiss's lips are so soft._

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like hours before they broke apart. Both girls blushed deeply as their eyes met.

"So...wow. That was...nice." Ruby stammered.

Weiss smiled at her partner. "Thank you Ruby."

Ruby grinned sheepishly back at her.

...

Blake had no idea how long they had lain there, bodies intertwined as they basked in the afterglow.  _It must be after midnight by now, the others are definitely wondering where we are._

Yang was gently stroking her hair, fingers occasionally ghosting over her cat ears, and Blake was purring lightly, but shivered as a breeze kicked up.

"It's kinda cold Yang, can we go now?"

The blonde let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, have it your way kitten." As they both stood she added. "You may want to put some clothes on first though." Her smirk was hidden by the tank top Blake threw at her face.

"Very funny blondie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff. It's like my story takes place inside a pillow or something.
> 
> Did you guys like it? Let me know what you thought!
> 
> Peace oot.


	16. In Bloom

"Where the hell have you two been! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Weiss's tone was irate.

 _Well, so much for having calmed her down..._ Ruby sighed at her partner's harsh nature.

"Uhh-" Yang began, but was cut off by Weiss.

"It's 2:30 in the morning! You woke us up at  _2:30 in the morning!_ "

Blake and Yang glanced sheepishly at one-another. It would seem that their intended stealthy entrance after the night's escapade had been anything but, a fact attested to by the fuming heiress that now stood before them. On the other hand, Ruby had just sat there, staring blankly at nothing, seemingly uninterested in the conversation at hand.

If it could even be called a "conversation".

Blake spoke up apologetically. "We're sorry Weiss, we hadn't intended to be out so late. The "situation" got a bit...out of hand." The Faunus blushed slightly as Yang winked at her sister.

"I know perfectly well what you two were up to," it was now Yang's turn to blush, "even so, quite frankly, this is unacceptable. We have classes tomorrow morning, and have you forgotten about the Grimm Studies test?" Weiss was showing no sign of letting the lovers off easily, and had the look of preparing to enter full lecture-mode. However, a soft voice interrupted her build-up.

"Weiss, please stop. I think it would be best if we just tried to get some sleep. Fighting about it is only going to make us more tired." Their leader's voice was quiet and distant, a far cry from her usual bubbly and excitable nature. Weiss seemed to soften at her partner's words, huffing, but nodding in begrudging agreement.

"Fine, but you two owe us for this," Weiss grumbled as she slipped back into bed, turning her back on the room.

Yang, who had been staring curiously at her sister, felt Blake tug on her arm.

"Tomorrow," was all she said. While she was slightly confused by Ruby's behaviour as well, Blake knew that now was not the time to discuss it.

Yang nodded and smiled at Blake, who had already slipped into her yukata. The blonde changed into her pajamas as well, and climbed into bed with her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around the girl. She gently nuzzled her face into Blake's shoulder and planted a light kiss on the bare skin.

"Goodnight kitten."

"Goodnight blondie," Blake shot back. She could feel Yang smirking at the nickname as the pair let sleep claim them.

* * *

Morning arrived far to quickly for Blake's taste, the Faunus hissing slightly at the rhythmic blaring of their alarm clock. She buried herself in the golden mane beside her, hoping that the thick locks would help to block the intrusive noise.

They didn't.

Blake groaned as she felt her partner stirring – cursing the early bird that she was – and wished that they could simply lie in bed forever. Anything to delay the ordeal of waking up.

But it was not to be. "Come on kitten, wakey wakey," Yang cooed. Blake responded by diving under her pillow. The blonde grinned and gently tweaked one of Blake's cat ears. "Don't make me drag you out of bed."

The Faunus growled. "I hate you so much right now." Yang giggled.

"I know you do Blakey, and I couldn't be happier."

Blake moaned and slammed her face back into the pillow.

"Come on guys, we gotta go." Their young leader spoke from where she was perched treacherously on her bunk. "Get up Blake." Her voice was still slightly laced with the soft distance of the previous night, so Blake obeyed her command, more out of sympathy than anything else.

Stepping outside, they were met by team JNPR – well, minus the J – who had been standing around the door to their room

"Hey guys, what's up?" Yang's bright voice piped up.

"Oh, we're just waiting for our fearless leader," Nora giggled and lowered her voice conspiratorially, "he lost some things."

"Hey! I told you guys not to say anything!" An embarrassed and slightly frantic voice called out from beyond the door.

Pyrrha answered. "We're sorry!" Then, lowering  _her_  voice, she turned back to the others. "But it is rather amusing."

Jaune yelled out again. "Not cool Pyrrha!"

The Spartan's face reddened as she continued. "This may take quite a while, so you four may as well go on ahead without us."

"Okay, just don't be late for the test." Somehow, Weiss managed to sound stern and business-like despite the situation at hand.

"We'll do our best, see you soon." Team RWBY recognized their de facto dismissal and hurried off to class.

"What do you think Jaune lost?" Ruby asked with a smirk as they walked away.

"Not sure I want to know." Blake shook her head at the boy's chronic ineptitude.

* * *

The girls took there usual seats near the front of Professor Port's classroom, a fact that would normally have bothered a certain fiery blonde, had she not already been concerned for her sister. Old lechers were overshadowed by a sister in need, it seemed.

"Good morning class. I hope all studied hard for the test! Now I know some of you may be questioning why you need to take this class. You may be thinking that you could fight the Grimm without this knowledge. But let me tell you, I didn't dispose of that nasty pack of Beowolves by smiling at them! You need to be informed as I was, you need to understand your foe as I did, you need-"

The usual self-indulgent spiel was interrupted by a scuffling from the doorway, as JNPR stumbled into the room. Port cocked an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by their theft of his moment.

"Sorry we're late sir, a situation arose." Pyrrha apologized profusely to the man, before lowering her voice and continuing to speak to the boy beside her. As the team passed Blake's seat, she could pick out what she said.

"-really, all of them?" Jaune's face lit up and he shushed the girl before she could continue.

The disturbance quelled, Port resumed. "As I was saying: It is important to understand your foe, not simply know how to kill them. Now let us start the test, shall we?"

* * *

An hour later, the students staggered out of their classroom, facial expressions ranging from confident and happy, to potentially suicidal. Yang's fell into the latter group.

"Damn it, I know I failed that." Blake wrapped a comforting arm around her girlfriend.

"Aww, don't say that, I'm sure you did fine." Yang only shook her head sadly.

Weiss's voice rang out. "I don't know how you could possibly have failed, that was comically simple."

Blake glared at her. "Not helping Weiss." She turned to their leader as Weiss huffed haughtily. "How do you think you did Ruby?"

The girl had barely been paying attention. "What? Oh...fine I guess." She turned away and spoke under her breath. "I think I forgot something in the dorm, I'll see you guys later." Then without warning, she sped off, leaving a cloud of petals in her wake.

Yang took one confused look after her, then glanced down at Blake, who nodded with an encouraging smile. She immediately broke away and sprinted after Ruby.

_Time to be a big sister._

* * *

Yang opened the door to find her sister lying on her bunk, staring up at the ceiling. "Ruby?" She called out softly. No answer.

Upon further inspection, she noticed that the girl was wearing headphones, and Yang could now faintly make out the lyrics of whatever song was blaring in her sister's ears.

" _Whenever I think of you...you could be my dream come true..."_

The blonde approached the bed softly, thinking of her sister's usual taste in music, and how those lyrics absolutely did not fit with her norm. She placed a hand on Ruby's leg and gently shook, causing the girl to glance down. Noticing who her visitor was, she took off the headphones and spoke quietly.

"Hey Yang, what's up?" As if she didn't already know why Yang was here.

"Ruby, talk to me, please. What's the matter?" She spoke gently and kindly, trying to hide the pain she felt at seeing her sister this upset.

"It's nothing Yang, honest."

Yang rolled her eyes and pulled Ruby down onto the floor, wrapping her in a firm embrace. "Don't give me that crap. I'm your sister Ruby, I know when something's wrong, and it's my job to make it right. Please, let me do my job."

Ruby pulled away and looked down at her feet. "I'm serious Yang, I'm fine. I can deal with this on my own." She sounded assured, but confidence can only get one so far.

"I know you can, but the thing is...you don't have to." The blonde placed both hands on her sister's shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Remember that lullaby I used to sing when we were kids? Well I do, and I haven't forgotten the promise I made. I'm here for you sis, and I always will be. You may as well get used to it."

The silence that followed was palpable, each girl staring into the other's eyes. Ruby stared into her sister's eyes, as if searching for something. What she found was sincerity, worry, and most of all, love. She smiled weakly.

"Thanks sis." Yang responded by plopping down on Weiss's bed, motioning for Ruby to join her.

"Well? Spill it." Ruby sighed.

"It's Weiss." The blonde immediately tensed, knowing all too well just how harsh the ice princess could be.  _If she hurt my baby sister, I'll kill her._

Ruby could sense her big sister's anger and shook her head vigorously. "No Yang, don't be mad at her, she didn't do anything bad. At least not on purpose."

The brawler relaxed slightly. "If you say so, but what  _did_  she do?"

Ruby was suddenly rather awkward and fidgety, as if she was embarrassed by something. "Uhh, last night, when you and Blake were out, something...something happened." Her face flamed as she was forced to relive a rather...intimate moment.

"What kind of something?" Yang was getting more apprehensive by the second.  _What the hell did that bitch do to my sister?_

"We umm...we started talking about how neither of us had had boyfriends, and then she told me that she'd never kissed anyone..." Ruby's face took on a shade of red darker than her cape, her eyes widened, the silver pools flickering with anxiety. "And you know I've never kissed anyone either so...we umm...we..." She buried her face in her hands, letting Yang fill in the blanks.

"You two kissed?" Yang's voice dripped with incredulity, while her sister simply nodded, face still hidden.

 _Wow...just wow. Weiss? Really? But that still doesn't explain why she's so...oh._  Understanding dawned on her. "But you think it might have been more than just a kiss."

Ruby shot up and looked at her sister, eyes now drenched in uncertainty and pain. "I don't know! I think...maybe? It's so confusing! First kisses are supposed to be special, they're supposed to mean something. So what did mine mean?" Tears welled and threatened to fall, and Yang was determined to stop them before they did.

She pulled the younger girl into her arms, letting the warmth wash over her. "You know what I'm going to tell you, right?" Ruby nodded. "You have to talk to Weiss, it doesn't make sense to mope around when the answers to all your questions are right in front of you."

Ruby shook her head. "I can't just blurt out that I might  _like_  like her! What if she doesn't? It's not like we can stop being partners!"

"Hey..." Yang forced Ruby to meet her eyes. "Odds are that she's feeling just as confused as you are right now."

Ruby snorted. "Well she doesn't look it."

"Yeah, but when has our ice queen ever been good at showing emotion?" Ruby giggled.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am, I'm your big sister, it's my job to be right about everything. Now go talk to her. You guys have to figure this out together."

Ruby nodded and stood up, determination replacing fear and pain. "You're right. Thanks sis."

Yang answered with a brilliant smile, the younger girl grinning back just as brightly. Just before she left, Ruby turned back to her sister. "Yang? With Blake...when did you know?"

The elder sister chuckled. "Remember back when she was destroying herself over the White Fang? I guess...that was when I started thinking about how much she really meant to me. I needed to make her happy, and I realized that she'd become a lot more than just a friend in my eyes.

Ruby shook her head. "You two are so perfect. It's kind of annoying actually."

Yang just winked back, before her sister sped out of the room.

_Mission accomplished._


	17. Net Zero

"I think you handled it well." Blake's voice was sincere, though she couldn't help but feel that it would be slightly cliché for  _both_  pairs in team RWBY to fall for each other.

"Aw, thanks kitten. I do pride myself on being the best big sister in the world." Blake rolled her eyes, though Yang couldn't see it.

The pair were reclined against a wall on one of Beacon's many rooftops, Blake in Yang's arms as they watched the sun set over Vale. They both enjoyed the proximity, relishing the feeling of simply being close to one-another, almost as if they had melted into one being, with a shared heart and mind.

Blake broke the pleasant silence. "I still find it hard to believe that _anyone_  could fall for Weiss, cold as she is." Yang shrugged.

"It's not that hard to believe, I fell for  _you_  didn't I?" Yang's eyes danced in amusement as Blake turned to glare at her.

"Haha, very funny blondie. Maybe I should just-" She was cut off as Yang pulled her in for a searing kiss, and she melted into the contact. After what seemed like hours, they broke apart, cheeks flushed as they gasped for air. Yang gently pecked Blake's nose.

"What were you saying Blake?"

"Never mind." Blake shook her head in exasperation. The Faunus still felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach every time Yang kissed her. Sighing, she turned back around and sank back into her partner's embrace. "How do you think Ruby's doing?"

Yang chuckled. "I'm sure she's doing fine," she planted a kiss on Blake's neck, biting down gently. "I'm not so sure about our ice princess though."

* * *

Weiss sat alone in the library trying to study, desperate for any kind of distraction from what she knew was coming, what she knew she eventually would have to deal with. She had her head buried in a textbook, but her brain wasn't processing any of the information it presented. The words lingered fleetingly in her thoughts, before promptly whizzing out through her ears, the impression they left likening to that of a speck of dust on a mountain.

The fact that she knew her partner was coming did nothing to lessen the anxiety, nor gave her any opportunity to prepare for the eventuality. In truth, she had no idea what to say when asked about last night, her feelings were just as unreadable as the text that lay before her. It was as if her conscience had suddenly begun speaking in a different language and had given her brain no time to learn it.

_Stop it Weiss. You know that you're overreacting...again._

_But_ are _you? What could this do to your partnership? Your team? What if you two can't figure it out? Is it possible to request a transfer to a different team?_

_No, I can't do that to Blake and Yang, it's not fair. I just have to calm down and talk this through..._

"Weiss?"

The sound of the timid vice she had been anticipating snapped her back to reality. Her head slowly raised up from whatever text she had been reading (she now realized that she hadn't even noticed its name) to see her partner standing awkwardly before her. She began as gently as possible. "Ruby I-"

"I have to talk to you." Ruby interrupted her, and Weiss – who would normally be miffed at such an interruption – simply nodded and motioned to the seat beside her.

Ruby sat down hesitantly, refusing to make eye contact with the heiress. "Weiss...last night...why did you kiss me?" She was now speaking in little more than a whisper, and trepidation dripped from every syllable.

Weiss was taken aback at the directness of her question, but before she could respond, Ruby began stumbling.

"I mean...I know you said you'd never kissed anyone, and neither had I. It's just...I don't know if maybe...maybe it was something more than that?" She buried her face in her hands. "You must think I'm so stupid right now."

Weiss gently removed Ruby's hands from her face, and stayed holding onto one as she spoke. "No Ruby, I don't think you're stupid. At least, not any more stupid than I am right now."

Silver met ice-blue as Ruby shot her partner a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, ever since it happened, I've been terrified of talking about it. Today, I knew you were coming, but I was so scared of facing you." She chuckled to herself. "I suppose it  _was_  more than just a kiss, no matter what I tell myself, but I had no idea what I would do if you didn't feel the same way, so I tried to hide from it."

Ruby shifted nervously. "I hid too. Just less subtly I guess." She rubbed the back of her head. "So...now what?" That was the all-important question here.

Weiss sighed. "I think that we should just wait. Right now, things seem so new and crazy, so let's give it some time to sink in, and see how we feel then, okay?"

Ruby nodded sagely. "I don't think it would be possible to have as perfect a relationship as Blake and Yang do anyway."

"Exactly. No sense in forcing anything if it isn't meant to be." Weiss looked Ruby directly in the eyes. "But no matter where this goes, I promise that I'll never stop being your friend and teammate."

Ruby finally let a smile shine through. "Thanks Weiss. But one question." Weiss looked at her expectantly. "Can I hold your hand?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "We'll see."

* * *

Blake sat alone in her dorm, reclined against her headboard with her nose buried in a book as per usual. Ruby and Weiss still hadn't returned from wherever it was they had gone, and Yang had deemed it prudent to squeeze in one last training session before bed, so Blake now basked in complete solitude.

While normally she would appreciate the time without distractions from over-energetic girlfriends, today, she found that it opened a path for things...less than pleasant. Though she tried to concentrate on the novel in her hands, her thoughts always ended up straying to the White Fang, and more importantly, a certain red-haired bull-Faunus that until recently, had been her sworn enemy.

_He's changed. Or at least, so he says. I trust him, but that doesn't change the facts. Someone blew that ship up, and if it wasn't him, odds are it was someone he worked closely with, seeing as they must have been in on the plan._

_On the other hand, he might be lying to me, he may not have changed at all...damn it!_

She threw down her book in frustration. The man who had haunted her dreams now dominated her waking hours as well, and still she could conjure no answers, only more questions.

"Blake?" A worried voice called out from the doorway, and the Faunus looked up to see the comforting face of her fiery partner. "Are you okay?"

There was no sense in lying to her, not again. "No Yang, I'm not. I'm really not." The brawler immediately dropped her gym bag and plopped herself down beside her girlfriend.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm here. Now what's wrong kitten?" Blake rested her head on the blonde's shoulder, who's hair was still slightly damp from evidently having showered before returning to the dorm.

Blake sighed. "I'm thinking too much."

Yang must have had at least forty-seven applicable jokes running through her head, but thought better of it eventually. "About what?"

Blake shook her head sadly. "It's...hard. I don't know-"

"You're thinking about  _him_ , aren't you?" Yang's voice was sympathetic, she knew exactly what Adam was, and what he meant to her partner. At least she thought she did...

Blake just nodded.

Yang gently pulled her partner's chin around to meet her eyes. "You know, once we find wherever it is the White Fang are hiding, there's a good chance he'll be there."

"I know. I'm just not sure I'm ready to face him again."  _Why can't we just live our lives, without being tied to each other like this?_

Yang wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, we can beat him."

Blake nodded again. "I know we can. But I don't want to."

Yang looked down incredulously. "Are you serious? After all that he's done to you? After what he did to Vale?" Her frown was unmistakeable, and Blake instantly regretted opening her mouth at all. "He hurt you, and almost killed you! He slaughtered innocent civilians! He's evil!" Something snapped.

"NO HE ISN'T!" Blake was on her feet now, shouting at the blonde. "You don't know him, you've never known him! He didn't kill those people at the docks, and he would never have killed me! You can't judge him like that!"

Yang stared, shocked at the girl's outburst, but instead of try to mend the situation, she chose the one thread that should not be pulled. "Wait, how do you know that he didn't plan the explosion?" Her brow furrowed as suspicion crept into her tone.

Blake didn't care anymore, anger dulling any empathy she may have felt. "I met with him, the night after the explosion. He told me that he never planned for all those people to die. And I believe him, Yang, even if you don't." But Yang had only clued into one important point.

"You met with him? And after all we've been through, you  _still_  didn't feel the need to tell me!?" Her voice filled with spite as she plunged the dagger in. "Are you sure that's  _all_  you did with him?"

If Yang's lips hadn't just formed those words, if her chest hadn't heaved with the force of expelling them, Blake would not have believe what she had said, what she seemed to imply.

"You...you think that I...?" Tears stung the back of Blake's eyes as the girl sparked in front of her, but she refused to let them fall. "HOW COULD YOU ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AFTER ALL THAT WE'VE SAID AND DONE! YOU KEEP TELLING ME TO TRUST YOU, BUT HOW CAN I IF YOU DON'T TRUST ME?"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT YOU DO? YOU DISAPPEAR SO OFTEN THAT FOR ALL I KNOW, YOU COULD HAVE FOUR OTHER LOVERS!" Yang's eyes flashed scarlet as she screamed back.

Blake froze at the words. "You...?" The tears couldn't be stopped, but she turned away so as to not let Yang see them.  _I guess it_ was _too good to be true..._

She took a long look back at the flaming girl in front of her, and uttered that one word she'd hoped never to have to use again.

"Goodbye"

Tears streamed down her face as she sprinted away, slamming the door behind her.

Yang just stood there, fists clenched and mind racing, before collapsing on her bed and weeping silently to herself as night enveloped the city.


	18. Misery Loves Company (except it doesn't)

Blake had no idea how long she ran. Down the hall, out the door, along the road. Anything to put as much distance as possible between Yang and herself.

_How could she...? Did I really...? Why..._

Her mind wasn't cooperating, choosing rather to send her deeper into confusion and pain. Thoughts whizzed around like bees, but without the order, creating a chaotic mess of emotion inside an already broken heart. One thing was for certain however, she couldn't stay at Beacon, not after what had happened, not after the love of her life had cruelly pushed her away. Luckily, she knew where she could hide.

The sun was setting over Vale as she sprinted through the darkening streets, retracing her steps from a few days ago. Within a few minutes, she had found the dark alley with the rusty old door, and forced her way inside.

Her heart was in turmoil as she began to slowly ascend the decrepit staircase. What was she supposed to do now? She knew that there was no way she couldn't return to Beacon, not with Yang there.  _She 'd probably prefer it if I never came back anyway..._

Ruby would take her Yang's side, she was her sister, and they were as close as two people could be, and with Weiss and Ruby's new...relationship, there was a good bet that she would side with them as well. There was no longer a place for her at the school, it wasn't like she could simply join another team. She sensation of being unwanted was all too familiar to Blake...even after all this time, nothing had changed.

Blake kicked the door to Qrow's apartment open as salt stung her eyes once more.  _Damn it!_ She collapsed on the dusty sofa, head in her hands as the tears streamed liberally between her fingers. She knew this was at least partially her own fault, if not completely her own fault.  _Should have fucking told her...why was I so stupid. After all those times I refused to let her in, you'd think I'd have learned from my mistakes. But I didn't, and now I'm paying the price._

She stood up and made her way into the kitchen, searching through cupboards at random until she found what she was looking for.  _It figures Qrow would have this lying around. It's probably pretty old too._ She had found an unopened bottle of Patch whiskey, and began rummaging around for a glass.

Blake was no stranger to alcohol. The White Fang hadn't provided the most...civil of upbringings, so she knew her way around a bottle. Right now, all she needed was to forget, at least for a while, and she let the tears flow as she slammed her first drink.

* * *

Yang woke painfully from a restless sleep, head pounding and eyes stinging. Nightmares had plagued her fitful slumber, relentless in their mockery as one after the other featured the previous night's events, in varying levels of vividity. All shared one common trait: Blake was gone, always. No matter how warped or misconstrued the images may have been, the fact remained that the Faunus was out of Yang's reach, and out of her life.

Yang punched her mattress as tears soaked the pillow, cursing her own stupidity.

_Great fucking work you stupid bitch...you chased her away...and she might not come back to you this time...can't say you blame her, can you?_

The voice inside her head seemed to laugh at her pain, taking pleasure in fuelling the flames of frustration and anger. But as the fire spread, poisonous thoughts began to worm their way in through the cracks in her damaged psyche.

 _This is her fault. She shut you out over and over, she lied about trusting you. She met with_ him  _again_.

_Maybe she didn't love you after all...maybe she was just using you..._

_For what?_

_For protection from the White Fang of course. A strong warrior by her side to chase away the ghosts of her past._

_And you fell for it..._

"Sis?"

Yang hadn't heard her sister enter the room, and was in no mood to talk to her at the moment.

"Get out." Her voice was harsh, maybe a little too harsh, but it perfectly emulated the thoughts racing around in her mind.

"No. You're talking to me, right now." Ruby's voice was almost stern as she approached Yang's bunk, smirking humorlessly at how quickly their roles had been reversed. Suddenly, she noticed something. Some _one_  who was missing. "Wait, where's Blake?"

She jumped as a violent shudder wracked the blonde's body, placing a comforting hand on Yang's shoulder. The brawler lifted her head slightly, and Ruby could see the tear-streaked face.  _What the hell happened between them?_

"She's gone." Her voice didn't hold the emptiness it had when she had injured Blake – what now seemed like so long ago. This time, it was filled with anger, frustration, and most of all, pain.

"What? Why?"  _Oh that's just painfully ironic._

Yang sniffed and jumped to the floor, collapsing onto Weiss's bed as she began brokenly retelling the events of the night before, bursting back into tears as she finished and pulling Ruby into a hug, crying into her shoulder.

 _Oh wow, that's actually pretty bad, she basically accused her of cheating. But I know that's not true, Blake would never..._ "Yang, you know that this will only get better if you find her, and bring her back. She loves you and would never do anything to hurt you, and I know you still love her." Ruby tried in vain to comfort her sister.

Yang's fists clenched. "No! Not this time! This time, she chose him!" And with that, she stalked out the door and slammed it shut, leaving her sister alone and confused.

Once outside, she immediately sunk to the ground against a wall.  _Damn it Blake. Even if you lied to me...I'd rather have you by my side than see you go back to him._

_Where are you?_

* * *

Sunlight filtered through bent Venetian blinds, dancing across Blake's face and bringing her slowly out of her stupor. It felt like her brain had been beaten with a whisk, set to ferment for eight weeks and then left out in the sun too long.  _Ugh, shit. Maybe I went a bit overboard._  Her eyes found the now half-empty bottle _,_  and she groaned as she slowly sat up, the shift in brain fluid playing hell with her senses.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. The pain and grief from the day before had gone, but had been replaced by an incredible emptiness that knawed at her insides. It was as if all feeling had been sucked from her being, and in some ways, it was worse than the pain.

She ran a hand through raven hair.  _What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Beacon was the last home that I had, and I doubt that I could stay_ here _for very long._

Her thoughts strayed to the night that caused all of this, the night that Adam had found her, and unknowingly ruined her life.  _Well, it wasn't so much his fault as it was mine._ The more she thought about Adam, the more she began to accept her one remaining option.

 _Maybe...they were my family once, could they be again? Would_ he _accept me? If he truly has changed...I could return to his side I suppose._

_It's the only place I have left now..._

Blake smirked humorlessly at the irony. It seemed that the life she had tried so hard to escape, the one she had condemned and claimed to detest, was the one life she had left.

She stood up slowly, wobbling slightly as she tried to find her balance.  _It shouldn't be hard to find them, I just hope there are no giant, murderous robots this time._

Though with Torchwick rotting in some jail cell, it didn't seem likely this time around.

* * *

Sun Wukong sat lounging in a tree, about to eat an apple that he had recently... _acquired_  from Sage.  _Man, he makes it too easy, just leavin' his food lying around. Anyone could have taken it. At least it's in the hands of someone he knows._

_On second thought, that might just make it worse...oh well, too late now._

His mind flashed back to Blake's look of disapproval when he had first stolen for her.  _Yang's been a good influence on her. She only glares at me occasionally now._

He took a bite from the apple, only to spit it out in disgust. Rotten. Sage  _was_ notorious for using study and meditation as an excuse to neglect things like general cleanliness and hygiene.

His mind returned to Blake as he tossed the apple to the ground.  _I wonder where she's gotten too, haven't seen her in a while. Probably off with Yang somewhere, engaging in "couple" activities._

In that moment, it seemed that the apple he had just discarded was hell-bent on returning the favor as it smacked into the side of his head, and he almost fell out of the tree in shock. He scanned around to find the culprit, expecting to see Sage glaring up at him, but was surprised when his eyes were met with a certain blonde-haired brawler, evidently the one responsible for his citrus-y surprise.

His annoyance abated at the look on her face.  _Has she been crying?_

"Hey Yang, what's up?" He had never seen her this upset about something, and quickly realized that Blake was nowhere to be seen.

"Sun." Her voice was strained and desperate. "I need you to do something for me. Please."

The monkey-Faunus's brow furrowed in concern. "Sure, anything."


	19. Journey to the West

"You're an idiot." Sun shook his head sadly as Yang finished her request.

"What?" Yang's fists clenched and her teeth ground together. She was not in the mood for any shit from the wise-cracking monkey at the moment.

"I said, you're an idiot. We both know that you love her, and we both know that she loves you-" He clearly had more to say, but Yang interrupted him.

"Everyone keeps saying that: How we both love each other so much! But that doesn't really seem to have done us much good has it? She's still gone, so shut the fuck up about love!" Sun held up a hand to silence her.

"That's not my point. What I'm saying is that you know her better than anyone, even me. You know how loyal she is. You know that she would never truly  _want_  to return to the White Fang. And most importantly, you  _know_  that she would never purposefully hurt you like this." There was no playful lilt in his voice anymore, no inkling of insincerity. Sun Wukong was dead serious, and Yang knew that he was right.

"Look, I know okay! It was my fault, I drove her away. But right now, you're the only one who can find her, and I can't live with knowing that she might go back to the life that she wanted so badly to escape!" Her fist connected with the tree trunk, and Sun could feel the impact from up on his branch. "I just...I want her back..." Tears were flowing anew, tears of anger.

Sun leaped down from his perch and wrapped comforting arms around the blonde, whispering gently in her ear. "I know, I want her back too." He gave her a small squeeze. "I'll find her Yang, I promise."

Yang nodded and released a shaky breath. "Thanks Sun."

Sun let her go and began walking away, turning back just as he was about to round a corner. "But remember Yang, all I can do is bring her back. It's  _you_  that's going to have to make her stay." And with that, he was gone.

Yang sighed. She hadn't told him about the main reason Blake had left, and she'd like to keep it that way if at all possible.

* * *

_Alright so...White Fang...Blake. Where the hell do I start?_

Sun sighed. He stood on a rooftop in central Vale, eyes scanning the horizon for something that he knew they wouldn't find with such a weak attempt.

He plopped down and began picking absentmindedly at a loose shingle beside him, thinking back to when he'd first seen Blake. He smirked at the cheeky wink he'd given her as he passed by.  _I_  s _till think that was fucking perfect, even_ if  _nothing came of it._

But Blake and Yang's relationship was something else, something special, and he knew that Blake was far better off with Yang than she ever could be with him.  _They really are perfect for each other. Something like that...it should never end like this, and I guess it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen._

He took a deep breath and sprang back to his feet, stretching his legs and cracking his neck to the side. It was early afternoon, the sun beat down on his head and shoulders, and he sighed realizing that he'd have to descend into the streets if he didn't want to burn. He'd gotten used to it, the taunts and jeers he sometimes got from passers-by, but still preferred to stay out of their way when at all possible.

He jumped down into a dark alley, striding confidently out into the street, knowing full well that at this time of day, Blake was most likely holed up somewhere _. She always did prefer to do things at night. I suppose that'll at least give me enough time to figure out where she'll be, cause I got no chance of flushing her out...well, unless I had some tuna maybe._ He smirked to himself.

 _Despite what we may say, we really are animals, aren't we..._ Sun shook his head violently.  _Really not the time Brain, thanks._

The Faunus wandered aimlessly through the streets of Vale, mind racing as he tried to formulate something that resembled a plan.

 _Alright, so. Yang said Blake might try to rejoin the White Fang, the 'why' of it doesn't matter right now, that's Yang's department. My concern is 'how?'_ As if a switch had been flicked in his mind, realization dawned on him.

_How does anyone join the White Fang? Hell, we've seen it first-hand when we fought that Torchwick guy. I just hope there aren't any man-eating robots this time..._

* * *

As night fell over the city, Sun slowly picked his way through the shadowed alleys of one of Vale's seedier districts.  _I guess criminal organizations don't exactly get priority when it comes to real estate._

It hadn't been difficult to learn the location of the White Fang's gathering. Spend a few hours down by the docks, and you'll know more about the city's underworld than the head of Vale security.

As the large warehouse loomed into view, Sun couldn't help but feel sightly nervous.  _What if she isn't there? What if I can't convince her to come back?_ But it was too late now, he had given Yang his word that he'd find her, no matter how long it took. He donned the same Grimm mask that Blake had given him the last time as a man ushered him in the door.  _Who'd have thought that I'd be infiltrating two White Fang meetings within six months of arriving in Vale?_ Sun couldn't help but smirk to himself.  _I guess if becoming a huntsman doesn't pan out, I'll have plenty of experience in the espionage department._

Sun crossed the threshold into a large room, filled to capacity with current and future White Fang members. They however, were uninteresting. What first caught his eye was a rather striking young man in a long black coat with red accents who was leaning against a back wall, seemingly uninterested in the rabble that surrounded him. As Sun approached him, it became apparent that the man was not here for the speech, as he was scanning the crowd, as if searching for something.  _He might know where I can find Blake._

"You don't look like an average grunt, you look like you could actually do some damage if you wanted." Sun immediately regretted speaking when the man turned to him, brow furrowed and jaw set.

"I could say the same for you. Nice gunchaku, I just hope you know how to use them." His voice was cold and appraising, with a slight undercurrent of sarcasm. Sun just scoffed.

"Don't worry about that...what was your name?"

The man sighed slightly. "Adam."

"Don't worry Adam, I can handle myself. I'm only here because I'm looking for someone anyway." Adam cocked an eyebrow.

"You too huh?" Adam wasn't entirely sure why he was talking to this strange monkey boy, but what was the harm?

"You lost someone?" Sun knew he shouldn't be wasting time like this, but maybe getting on this guy's good side wouldn't be such a bad thing in the long run.

Adam nodded. "I lost her a long time ago, and when I found her again...she wasn't the same person that I had known before. She has a life now, a life that doesn't need me in it anymore." He stared out across the crowd, and Sun could picture the faraway look in his eyes. "I guess I'm here...because I still hope that one day she'll come back, no matter how crazy that may seem." He smiled humorlessly.

The monkey-Faunus couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, endlessly waiting for something that he knew would never come. That was no way for anyone to live. "What was her name?"

Adam shifted uncomfortably. "Blake. She was my partner for years, before she left me." He continued staring out over the ocean of Faunus, and completely missed the fact that Sun had frozen in place.

 _Well, that might explain why Yang was so upset, she probably knew about this guy all along. I gotta find Blake._ Without so much as a word in reply, Sun spun on his heels and vanished into the crowd.  _You had better be here cat._

Sun shoved his way through the throngs of people, eyes searching frantically for the familiar set of black ears, the long wavy hair, any sign of Blake's presence.  _There!_ He slowly crept up behind her, fearing that a sudden outburst might scare her off.

"Blake" He whispered in her ear, causing the girl to whirl around in surprise. She relaxed when she recognized who it was.

"Sun? How did you know it was me?" Her voice was soft and barely audible over the din of the large room and it's hundreds of occupants.

The monkey shook his head in playful disappointment. "Seriously? First of all, I've known you like, forever. Second of all, your clothing choice doesn't exactly blend in with the rest of  _them_ ,seeing as it looks like you're about to go to war. And thirdly, you're the only cat-Faunus I know that carries a variant ballistic chain-scythe." Sun could almost feel Blake rolling her eyes behind the mask.

"Fair enough. But what the hell are you doing here." She was whispering now, as one of the White Fang lieutenants had begun addressing the crowd.

 _There's no point beating around the bush I guess._ "Yang sent me." He could feel Blake tense. "She wants you back, she wants to talk to you."

Blake twitched a little, refusing to look him in the eyes – or the mask. "Sun." Her voice had deadened. "I can't...she doesn't." Sun could see her wrestling with herself as she struggle to get the words out. "She's made it perfectly clear how she feels about this."

Sun was getting very frustrated very quickly.  _Damn these two! They're both too goddamn stubborn._ "Look, obviously she feels different now, so let's go before that other guy finds you." The look in Blake's eyes stopped him in his tracks.

"What other guy- You saw Adam? Where?" Sun shook his head, refusing to let Adam force his way into something that didn't concern him.  _Fuck it._

He ripped off both his and Blake's masks and grabbed the cat-Faunus's cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Fuck Adam!" His voice had raised slightly, attracting the attention of a few nearby, but Sun had more pressing concerns at the moment. "You think Yang's the only one that matters here? Did you ever consider how I would feel? Or how any of team JNPR would feel? You belong with us, Blake!" He could see tears welling up in her eyes, but refused to let up. "Look, if I know anything, it's that you and Yang were made for each other. Are you seriously going to let something as stupid as  _this_  come between you two?"

The tears began to leak down Blake's cheeks, and she shook her head weakly. "I know you're right Sun, but it's just...I thought that..." Sun didn't let her continue as he wrapped her in a firm embrace, thought quickly releasing her as he noticed some of the crowd beginning to take notice of their distinct disinterest in what was being said by the lieutenant.

Blake smiled slightly as she gazed into the boy's eyes. "Thank you Sun."

Sun smirked. "See? I may be useless on the battlefield, but I'm still good for something right?"

Blake snickered soggily. "Come on. Let's go home." She took Sun's hand and led him through the crowd towards the exit.

Across the hall, a man stood alone, watching as the pair made their way out the door. When they'd gone from view, he shook his head, crossed his arms and leaned back to listen to the remainder of the speech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for incessantly attempting to humanize Adam! Cause in a lot of stories, he's pretty much just an evil bastard that literally wants everyone to suffer horribly, and I don't agree with that.


	20. Those Who Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, chapter 20, and as some guy who's name escapes me right now said: "It ain't over 'til I say it's over" (which is not now)
> 
> WARNING: Slightly OoC Blake ahead (but that's kinda the point)

Yang Xiao Long had been pacing back and forth for what seemed like hours at this point. She had barely left the dorm room all day, only emerging for meals at her sister's behest, and even when she did, her disposition hadn't been what one would call "personable". Now she was once again shut away in her room, mind clouded with fear and doubt as she waited desperately for the monkey-boy's return.

When darkness began to fall and Sun had yet to arrive, a hard pit of fear had steadily grown in her stomach, until now it seemed ready to swallow her entire being, knawing at her like a cancerous growth and sapping her of hope.

From where she had been staring out the window, she paced over to the small table by the door.

_Did something go wrong?_

From the table she stalked her way to the foot of Blake's bunk, leaning her head against the frame.

_Can Sun not find her?_

From the foot of Blake's bunk, back to the window, once again gazing desperately out into the night, searching for a small spark of hope in the blackness.

Yang collapsed onto Blake's bed with her head in her hands, and sighed bitterly as her mind sunk ever deeper into despair.

_Even if he did find her, would she want to come back? Especially after the things that I've said_...She shook her head violently, willing the horrible thoughts to vanish.  _No, she'll come back._

_She has to._

"Yang?" A small, high-pitched voice broke her rather dismal train of thought. The blonde hadn't noticed her sister enter the room, nor did she make any effort to acknowledge her presence now that it  _was_ known to her.

Ruby slowly walked over to her sister, and placed a hand gently on her arm. "Yang, please stop worrying about it. I know everything will be fine." She moved to sit beside the distraught brawler and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey," Ruby gave Yang a playful shake, "Any minute now, Blake and Sun are gonna walk through the door, just watch."

Yang released a shaky breath. "You're probably right sis, I'm just scared of what'll happen when they do."

Ruby shook her head and smiled. "Nah. Blake will come back, and you'll both realize that this whole thing was just a big misunderstanding, then you can go back to...you know." A slight blush graced the younger girl's cheeks as she refrained from finishing that particular thought.

For what seemed like the first time in ages, a ghost of a smile cracked Yang's face at the Ruby's adorable embarrassment. Despite this, she shook her head sadly. "I don't think it'll be quite that simple this time Ruby."

"Sure it will. You'll see." Ruby grinned up at her big sister, hoping to ease some of her pain.

"Thanks sis," Yang all but whispered as her head turned to once more stare out the window, "but I still don't-" She was cut off as the door burst open and revealed a blonde monkey-Faunus who strode quickly into the room.

"Hey girls, how's it going?" He had an infuriatingly cheerful lilt in his voice and a big, stupid grin on his face.

Yang shot up. "Sun! Did you find her? Where is she?" His grin vanished as Yang picked him up by the collar, glowering at him as if he was somehow to blame for this whole situation.

"Yang..."

The blonde's attention was drawn back to the open door, and her heart skipped a beat upon seeing the raven-haired girl standing there nervously, as if she were trying to become as small as possible. Yang dropped Sun and managed to stammer the words: "B-Blake, you're here."

Say what you will about Sun, he was nothing if not tactful. "Uhh, so Ruby." He turned to team RWBY's youngest member. "You wanna go...study, or something?"

Ruby nodded hastily, and the two sprinted from the room without another word.

Blake turned back to Yang and slowly approached her, visibly wincing at the hard look on the girl's face.  _Well, no running away any more._ "Yang, I'm-" She was cut off abruptly as Yang slapped her square across the face, the sound of impact echoing sharply through the otherwise silent and empty world. As her eyes found Yang's once more, she could see the tears falling freely like fresh-water springs from deep, crimson pools.

In reality, Yang had no endgame planned, no words had mapped themselves out in her head. Now that she was back, now that Yang could finally speak with her, she found that the anger had gone, the rage at Blake's disappearance had abated, and all that took its place was regret at ever having chased this girl away. The slap had been one of instinct, and seeing the shock and pain on Blake's face only drove the dagger of regret deeper into her heart. She closed the gap between them and wrenched the Faunus into a stifling embrace, openly weeping into her shoulder.

"Blake...I'm so sorry for what happened. I'm sorry for saying all those horrible things about Adam. I'm sorry for...chasing you away like that." Her body shook, mostly from the sobs that wracked it, but also from the self-directed anger.

Blake was speechless. This wasn't at all the kind of outburst she had been expecting from the blonde. She had anticipated something a little more...fiery, but now she felt her one eyes begin to sting as she buried her face in Yang's neck. "I thought...that you'd be angry with me."

Yang sniffed a little. "I was at first. I was so jealous of Adam that I accused you of something that I knew could never be true. But after a while, I realized that I just wanted you back. I couldn't bear the thought of you going back there, not when you belong here...not when you belong with me." Her voice trailed off towards the end, but the words were enough for Blake's eyes to start leaking as well, and the two silently cried into their embrace.

"Yang." Blake pulled back to gaze into her partner's eyes, now returned to their natural state. "I know that this was my fault. All the secrets I kept from you, all the times that I shut you out...I can't blame you for getting angry, I deserved it." Yang looked like she was going to interrupt, but Blake placed a finger over her lips. "And when you did, what did I do? I ran away again, just like I've been doing for my whole life, and I only made things worse."

Yang spoke, though the finger hadn't been removed. "Blake, you-" But the Faunus cut her off again.

"I understand now, that this relationship can't work if I continue to keep secrets and go behind your back...no relationship would. I'm sorry. Though I also can't believe you've even put up with me for  _this_  long." Yang grinned and cupped the Faunus's cheek.

"Looks like neither of us are perfect, huh kitten? Big surprise." Blake rolled her eyes. "But I love you and I'll always love you. I promise, I'll never let my stupid insecurity push us apart again."

Blake nodded, gazing up into deep violet orbs. "And no more secrets. For real this time."

Yang leaned down and captured Blake's lips in a soft kiss, and the Faunus immediately melted into the familiar sensation.  _It's felt like forever..._

Blake felt her bow make a rather hasty escape from her head, and purred softly as loving fingers began tenderly caressing her velvet-clad ears, as their tongues started the sensuous dance against one-another. The whole world was Yang. Her hair, her lips, her tongue, her hands on Blake's waist, her breasts pressed up against the Faunus's.  _Why the hell would I ever want to leave her? I wouldn't._

Eventually, they broke apart, cheeks flushed, breathing a bit heavily. Blake tangled a hand in the long golden mane. "I missed you."

Suddenly, a familiar glint flashed in Yang's eyes. "Well kitten, you've got me now. What are you going to do about it?" She teased, the telltale smirk plastered across her lips.

Blake winked, something that she very rarely did. "Not to sound ungrateful, but I was thinking...if you  _had_  been angry with me, that would have made for some pretty hot make-up sex."

Yang's eyes widened at her girlfriend's bold statement, but she couldn't deny that there was some truth to the words. She leaned back in and whispered in Blake's ear. "Well, I might be able to find a little something in here." Her teeth grazed gently against the Faunus's ear, and she felt the girl shiver at the sensation.

Blake quickly attacked Yang's neck, peppering light kisses from just below her ear, down to her collarbone where she bit down slightly, eliciting a quiet yelp from her partner. "And where exactly is  _here_?" She asked before latching onto Yang's pressure point and suckling hard.

Yang was unable to contain the gasp that escaped her throat under Blake's pleasant attention. "Don't worry kitty-cat, you'll see soon enough." Blake could sense that Yang was slipping into the role of dominant, and figured that this time, why not mix things up a little?

**SEX BEGINS**

The Faunus growled slightly and shoved Yang roughly against the nearest wall, pinning the girl's hands to her sides as she forced her tongue inside the blonde's mouth. Blake expected Yang to fight back, to try taking over, but taking the hint, she obediently began bobbing her head slightly around Blake's tongue while entangling it with her own, the Faunus moaning her appreciation.

Blake forced Yang's arms above her head as she removed her tongue from the blonde's mouth, finally allowing her to speak. "Wow Blake, I thought I was supposed to be the angry one here."

The Faunus responded by shoving three fingers back into Yang's mouth and hissing slightly. "Hush there blondie, that's enough of your smart mouth. You will speak when I say you can speak, got it?" Her voice was smooth and low, more seductive than Yang had ever heard, and she had to admit that it was incredibly alluring.

She tried to respond, but her words were muffled by Blake's fingers, who shook her head and added a fourth, while wrapping Yang's hair around her other hand threateningly. "Have you forgotten what I said already? No talking blondie, or  _else._ " She emphasized that last word with a slight yank to her partner's hair, which made the blonde whimper slightly.

Most of her hand still in Yang's mouth, she brought their faces closer together. "Do you understand now blondie?" Yang simply nodded, lust beginning to cloud her eyes. "Good."

She removed her fingers and recaptured Yang's lips in a bruising kiss, before pulling away and commanding. "Jacket. Skirt. Off."

The deep timbre of Blake's voice sent shivers down Yang's spine, and she obeyed without question, removing the brown leather combination and tossing it away, leaving her only in her shorts, tank top and boots.

"Turn around, hands behind your back." Was Blake's next command, and when Yang's back was turned, she quickly removed Gambol Shroud's ribbon from her arm and wrapped it around Yang's wrists, making sure the knot was tight. "Good girl, now turn around blondie."

Yang faced Blake again and was met with another searing kiss. Her tied hands pulled her shoulders back, and in turn threw her chest out slightly further than usual, so her breasts were pressed against Blake's, and she could feel the friction as they rubbed against each other, which only fed the now burning fire between her legs.

Blake slowly walked her over to the bed and pushed her down, but then pulled away and stood just out of reach. "Now you stay right there blondie." Yang's eyes widened once again as Blake began slowly undressing before her. First her shorts, then her stockings, vest, shirt and bra, leaving her in just her panties as she spun around slowly, daring Yang to make a move.  _At least she knows how to listen._ Blake smirked to herself.  _But I figure I can tease her a little longer._

Smiling innocently, Blake began kneading her own breasts before slowly lowering her head and giving one a long lick, relishing the ravenous look in Yang's eyes. "Would you like to feel them?" She asked coyly.

"Yes." Yang's voice was now pure, unadulterated lust as her eyes begged for Blake's body. The Faunus slowly walked over to where Yang sat and leaned in slightly.

Immediately, Yang buried her face in Blake's cleavage, leaving little love bites all over the soft mounds. A moan grew in Blake's throat as Yang began sucking hard on a nipple, rolling the bud gently between her teeth. She continued her minstrations on her partner's breasts until she heard a ripping noise, and looked down to find her tank top split down the middle. Blake yanked it down her arms and ripped the blonde's bra off, exposing her bare chest.

"Beautiful." Was all she said before pulling Yang to her feet and yanking her shorts and panties down, leaving the boots on. "Now." Yang swallowed at the silky steel in Blake's tone. "On your knees blondie."

She obeyed immediately, sinking to her knees before her girlfriend, staring up at her with glazed eyes. Blake removed her panties, then tangled both hands in Yang's hair and lowered her head until she was presented with the Faunus's glistening sex.

Without hesitation, Yang dove in, giving an experimental lick to Blake's clit, making the girl shudder with anticipation. The blonde suckled on the bud, lightly nipping on the bundle of nerves as Blake gasped, her hands firmly holding Yang's head in place. The blonde gently probed Blake's labia, teasing slightly until Blake's grip tightened menacingly, and she slipped her tongue into her partner's sex.

The Faunus gasped loudly at the welcome intrusion, moans growing louder as Yang continued to explore, plunging deeper. Blake steadied herself by leaning on the upper bunk's frame as she began losing herself in the haze of ecstasy. It wasn't long before Blake's climax brought the world crashing down around her and she collapsed to the floor, Yang continuing to eat her out and prolong the pleasure.

When she finally came down, she opened her eyes to find Yang grinning back at her, licking her lips as she gave the Faunus a wink. Blake's only response was to cock an eyebrow. "I'm not through with you yet blondie. Now stay right there and wait, I've got a surprise for you."

Yang was startled when her eyes were covered by a black cloth, and she realized that it was Blake's scarf. "No peeking Yang."

The brawler could hear a few strange rustling sounds, before her blindfold was suddenly ripped off and she was met by Blake standing before her, wearing a large black strap-on. She grinned.

"Excited are you?" Blake took the fake cock in one hand and teasingly stroked it. "I figured you might be." She slowly approached Yang, her hips swaying, until the head of the strap-on was pressed against Yang's lips.

The blonde opened her mouth and gave it a long lick from base to tip, before taking the entire length in her mouth, never once breaking eye contact with Blake. The Faunus almost broke character for a second at the incredible sight before her, but caught herself just in time. To make up for her mistake, she grabbed the back of Yang's head and thrust the toy into her mouth, making the brawler gag slightly as it hit the back of her throat.

She pulled the length from Yang's mouth and looked apologetically down on the girl, who to her credit was giggling slightly. "Sorry hon. Just gotta make sure it's nice and ready." She untied Yang's hands and laid her down on her back, positioning herself in between Yang's legs on the bed. As she aligned the head with Yang's entrance, she looked up into the blonde's eyes.

"You ready?" Yang responded by wrapping her legs around Blake's hips.

"Blake please. Just fuck me already."

Blake grinned and slowly slid the toy in, inch by inch, letting the blonde adjust. Yang moaned in protest to the lack of friction, so Blake sharply thrust the rest of the length deep inside of the girl, who screamed in pleasure. The Faunus pulled back out slowly, before thrusting all the way back in, Yang crying out as she did so.

Blake increased her pace, thrusting quicker in and out of her partner, who moaned loudly as the toy penetrated deep inside her core. She bit her lip and reached down to rub her clit as Blake kept up the steady rhythm, pounding relentlessly into the blonde, bringing her closer and closer to the edge.

"Blake, I'm gonna-" Yang moaned.

"Cum for me Yang." Those words sent Yang tumbling over the edge, she screamed as her orgasm hit her, wrapping her legs tightly around Blake to bury the strap-on in as far as possible.

Blake pulled back out, but didn't give the blonde any time to recover as she flipped her over on her hands and knees and buried her face in Yang's sex, tasting her lover's juices. Yang shuddered and nearly collapsed at her girlfriend eating her out immediately after she had come down. "Blake, just wait a sec-"

But she wasn't so lucky. Blake had already lined up the toy and thrust it back into Yang's pussy from behind. The Faunus grabbed at Yang's left breast pinching and rolling the nipple as the blonde gasped and moaned at the amount of pleasure she was receiving. While one hand continued to fondle Yang's breasts, Blake used the other to force the blonde's face down into the bed. Yang was now fully submitted to her, face down, ass in the air as Blake pounded into her relentlessly. It wasn't long before Yang's moans got louder and she began to gasp.

"I- I can't-" She struggled to form words as Blake refused to let her raise her head.

"I love you so much Yang. Let go."

Yang screamed, her body seized as she was rocked by the second climax, Blake continuing to move this time, trying to draw it out as long as possible.

Yang finally collapsed, exhausted, on her back, gasping for air. "Wow Blake. I had no idea you could be so...forceful. That was incredible." The Faunus was currently busy cleaning the strap-on with her mouth, wanting the taste of Yang on her tongue.

She grinned and pulled her girlfriend into a kiss, letting her taste herself. "I'm full of surprises, it seems."

**SEX ENDS**

She broke away and gazed into Yang's eyes. "I love you, and I promise, I'll never leave you again."

Yang sighed and wrapped her arms around the Faunus's stomach, nuzzling her chin into Blake's shoulder. "I love you too Blake, and I'll **never let you leave**."

The two giggled quietly as exhaustion hit them, and they slowly drifted away, safe in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1600-word smut scene. You're welcome.
> 
> See, the problem with writing lesbian smut, is that I'm a dude (also a virgin still - of course - see the fact that this story exists for proof)
> 
> So if you thought it was terrible, let me know! If you thought it was good, let me know! If you thought at all, let me know!
> 
> Also let me know about other stuff too. This fic is about more than just sex right?...right?!...Damn it.
> 
> Peace out


	21. The Off-Beat

As the semester wore on, and the Vytal festival drew ever nearer, students were being given extra time off class in order to prepare for the tournament.

It was the intention of Beacon's faculty that this time be used wisely, either to train or to study for the end-of-year exams. It was also the intention of the student body that this time be used wisely, however, the definition of "wisely" differed greatly between teacher and student...

"Weiss and I are heading into town!" Ruby called to her teammates as she pulled the heiress out the door. "We'll see you guys later!"

Blake yelled back. "Wait! Shouldn't you be...training, or something?" Her question trailed off as the two were already out of earshot, and she sighed, leaning back against her headboard.

"Aww, let them go Blakey. It's not often that they get some time alone, how  _else_  are they finally gonna figure out their relationship?" Yang's voice rang out from where she had just exited the washroom, and Blake glanced over at her girlfriend, jaw dropping ever so slightly.

Yang Xiao Long strutted across the room, clad in nothing but a black lace bra and matching panties. She giggled slightly as she jumped into Blake's lap, straddling her hips and giving the Faunus an excellent view of her...assets.

"See something you like, kitten?" Her eyes flickered teasingly as she deliberately pushed her breasts closer to Blake's face.

The Faunus's face lit up like a cherry, but she managed to overcome temptation, even when Yang yanked her chin up and forced her tongue into Blake's mouth.  _She tastes like toothpaste._

Blake pulled away and flashed a mischievous grim up at her girlfriend. "Come on blondie, we have to train." She made to extract herself from Yang's clutches, noticing the telltale pout on the blonde's face.

"Aww, but Blakey." She whined. "Ruby and Weiss don't have to, so why do we? I wanna spend some  _time_  with you too, ya know..."

Blake rolled her eyes. "You said it yourself: They still need time to figure themselves out, whereas I think it's pretty clear where we stand." She shot Yang another sly smirk. "And besides," her voice dropped, "when we're finished, there'll be plenty of  _time_  to spend together."

Yang sighed dramatically. "Fine kitten, you win. But I expect to be re-payed in full later." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Blake giggled.

"Don't worry about that, I expect you will be. But you might want to worry about the fact that you've got no clothes on. Can't be training in nothing but your skin."  _Though, I certainly wouldn't mind if she did._ Blake smirked to herself.

In the blink of an eye, Yang had changed into her combat gear a grabbed Blake by the wrist. "Come on kitten," she shouted as she dragged the Faunus out the door. "Let's work that Bellabooty!"

* * *

They entered one of Beacon's many gyms to find it completely empty, confirming that they were the only ones who were actually using the time off for its intended purpose.  _Oh well,_ Blake thought,  _more room for us I suppose._

She began stretching out her arm and leg muscles, as the last thing she wanted was to injure herself before the tournament even began.  _Not to mention we still haven't heard from Qrow, and I've got no idea how much longer he might be._

"Hey Blake, I wanna try something." Yang's voice came from behind her, and she turned to find her partner standing in the middle of a large empty space, clearly meant for sparring. "Come here kitty-cat." She beckoned Blake over.

"What are you doing Yang?" The Faunus's eyes were wary. Knowing Yang, there was no limit to the number of embarrassing or potentially sexual situations she could soon find herself in, but she relented and approached the blonde and gave her an expectant look. "Well?"

Yang's eyes flashed, the blonde clearly quite proud of herself for whatever it was she had thought of. "I want you to attack me."

"You what?" Blake wasn't particularly shocked, but this hadn't been quite what she'd expected. "Why would I do that?" Yang sighed and dropped into her fighting stance, feet set, legs tensed, gauntlets up and at the ready.

"Just...I want to test something okay? Trust me."

Blake shrugged and drew Gambol Shroud, not noticing how Yang's eyes flicked knowingly to the blade in her partner's hands. She readied herself, and lunged, slashing at Yang with her sword.

Yang however, was ready for this, and instead of parrying or dodging Blake's attack, she went straight for Gambol Shroud, disarming the Faunus with a punch to her wrist, then catching the weapon and spinning out of reach. "Now what, kitten?" Yang smirked at the look on Blake's face. One of shock, but also one of frustration. She was beginning to understand the point of this exercise.

Blake lunged once more, aiming a fist for Yang's arm – she wanted her weapon back in hand as quickly as possible – but Yang shook her head as she easily blocked Blake's punch, countering and bringing her fist towards Blake's face. Yang stopped before she'd made contact, but Blake was certain that she'd have been floored in a real fight.

Yang laughed as she skipped away. "I think we've found your weakness Blakey." She teased as she waved Gambol Shroud in front of her. "What now that you've lost your weapon?"

Blake growled slightly, as Yang was beginning to aggravate her.  _She thinks I'm helpless without it huh? Unlikely._  "If you really believe that I need Gambol to beat you, you better think again blondie!"

She set her feet and charged at Yang, who easily ducked out of the way of Blake's wild right hook and grabbed her arm as it passed by, throwing the Faunus across the room. "You sure about that Blakey? Doesn't look like it from here." The teasing lilt left her voice, and she threw Gambol back to her partner. Now deathly serious, she spoke.

"Blake, I'm not saying that I think you're helpless without Gambol, but you can't deny that you rely heavily on it in combat. What happens if you lose your weapon in the field? You think the White Fang is gonna go easy on you just cause you're unarmed? You need to be able to defend yourself properly without it." She walked up to Blake and grabbed her shoulders, staring into the Faunus's eyes. "I won't let you get hurt because of your own stubbornness Blake. Not again."

Blake gazed into Yang's deep violet orbs, and her heart melted at the loving sincerity that she saw there. She nodded. "I know, you're probably right Yang. I can't depend on Gambol for everything, and I guess it never hurts to be careful." She wrapped her arms around Yang's neck and kissed her softly, touched by the concern that Yang never failed to show for her. "Learn from the best right?" She whispered against her partner's lips.

"Oh, you little flatterer. I wouldn't say I'm the  _best_ ," Blake cocked an eyebrow, and Yang smirked as her hands found Blake's ass. "But I'm pretty damn close."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Just teach me how to punch people blondie."

Yang giggled and gave Blake a final squeeze before breaking away and scanning Blake's stance. "First of all, your feet are all wrong..."

* * *

The forty-five minutes that followed encompassed one of the hardest training sessions Blake had ever experienced. Yang had worked her hard from the get-go, staring with the punching bag to work on technique, then eventually graduating to sparring matches.

To her credit, Blake had caught on very quickly, being the elite fighter that she was, and was soon able to give Yang a run for her money. However her stamina was not what the blonde's was, and Yang always managed to outlast her girlfriend.

"Alright." Blake panted. "That's enough." She was lying flat on her back, her lungs desperately pulling at the oxygen in the air.

Yang dropped to her knees beside the girl, smirking slightly as she hooked one leg over, straddling Blake's stomach. "Is kitty all tired out?" She teased as she slowly ran her hands up Blake's sides, delighting in the small quivers from the girl beneath her. "Looks like I-"

She was cut off as Blake shoved her to the side, rolling over so she was now on top of Yang, there faces mere inches apart. "What were you saying, blondie?" The look in Blake's eyes was ravenous as she examined her prey, and Yang couldn't help but shiver slightly.

"Um, I just-" She was silenced as Blake dove in and began devouring her partner's mouth. Yang wrapped her legs around Blake's back and pulled her in deeper as she slipped her tongue in between the Faunus's mouth, who moaned slightly at the welcome intrusion.  _As long as no one walks in on us..._

Blake felt Yang's hand begin to wander upward toward her bow, which might have been a welcome sensation if not for their current location. But given the circumstances, she bit hard on Yang's lip and grabbed her arm before it reached her ears. "What are you doing?" She hissed.

Yang looked at her sheepishly and whimpered. "I'm sorry kitten, I guess that I forgot where we were for a second while I was admiring your beautiful curves and incredible sexiness." She winked up at her partner.

Blake rolled her eyes and hauled Yang to her feet. "Come on blondie, you can admire my curves and my sexiness somewhere a little more private." She barely managed to finish the thought before Yang sprinted out the door, dragging the Faunus behind her.

"Well then, we best not waste any time kitty-cat. Let's go!" Blake grinned.

_So much for being tired._

They reached the door to their room in no time flat, and as they entered the dorm, Blake immediately shed her clothing and walked into the bathroom, feeling Yang's eyes following her.

"Where do you think you're going, kitten?" Yang asked, her voice having dropped an octave at the sight of Blake's exposed body.

"I've got to take a shower Yang, I'm all sweaty and gross." She turned around and shot Yang a suggestive look. "You're welcome to join me if you'd like..."

Now it was Yang's turn to blush.

* * *

"...It was soooo cool! They had a big light show out over the water, every colour you could imagine..." Ruby's voice was extra high-pitched as she recounted her and Weiss's expedition into Vale. "And there was a huge jet of water that suddenly shot out into the sea, all lit up, and that was when we..." She trailed off and shot Weiss an embarrassed look, one that was immediately returned by the heiress. Clearly, neither girl wanted to be the one to describe what had happened next.

Luckily for them, Yang took the initiative. "We get it, that was when you guys made out. Geez, just get a room already!" She was having way too much fun with this, and Blake spoke before the mockery could continue.

"It seems celebrations for the festival have begun early this year. The tournament doesn't start for several weeks." Weiss shrugged.

"Can you blame people for wanting to have a good time? Ever since Mountain Glen, it's been one catastrophe after another. It has to end sometime right?" Weiss spoke as if she knew the answer to her question, but didn't like what it was.

They all knew that the White Fang wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted, and it was up to them to prevent that.

It was Yang – of course – who eventually broke the strained silence. "So you guys planning on  _actually_  training tomorrow, or just more makeout sessions?"

"YANG!"

* * *

As darkness descended over Beacon, a man sat alone in his office, high above the school, a mug of coffee in his hand as he examined a datapad. Weary eyes surveyed row upon row of reports and test results, and no matter the subject matter or the source, everything seemed to point in one direction: War was coming, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it anymore.

He sighed and set the pad down on his desk.  _I suppose peace can only last for so long, before someone inevitably decides that it is no longer good enough for them..._ He spun his chair around and gazed out over the school.  _And it's my students who will be forced to pay the price, this time._

His attention was pulled to a pinging noise coming from the datapad behind him, and grabbing it, he saw that there was one new message available.

_**Qrow:** _

_**Better get your team ready, Oz.** _

The old headmaster read and re-read the message, bowing his head slightly and closing his eyes.

_It seems that they might have to pay the price sooner than even I anticipated._

He resumed his watch over the school, its students blissfully unaware of the peril that four of their classmates might find themselves in over the coming days.

He took another sip of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was mostly fluff, but as you can tell, shit will be kicking back up very very soon. Just bear with me :D
> 
> Also, last chapter was the first one that some people seemed to take genuine issue with (unnecessary smut, OoC Blake, etc.) and I'm sorry if you felt that way. You probably know that I take everything that everyone has to say into consideration, and I understand where some people are coming from on that particular topic. That said, it was a lot of fun to write.
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked it, and as always don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> Peace out.


	22. Now It Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...we're so close. I can taste the end. It tastes like tears and garlic.
> 
> Also, in case you're wondering about the gap, I'm actually now caught up on AO3, so the wait between chapters will increase significantly. Sorry about that.

"So Ruby and Weiss are totally dating now, right?"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha gave the blonde-haired boy a sharp but playful elbow to the gut. "Mind your own business."

She turned back to Blake and Yang, whispering conspiratorially. "But it  _is_  quite obvious that they are, so tell us. Is it official?"

"Hey!" Jaune exclaimed. "Come on Pyrrha, no fair!" The spartan simply grinned mischievously.

"Hush now Jaune, can't you see that Yang's trying to speak?" Jaune looked ready to respond, but upon noticing that the blonde across the table indeed  _did_  have her mouth open, he sank back into his seat and glared at Pyrrha.

"It's hard to say really." Yang began. "They  _do_  spend an awful lot of time together, and we know for a fact that they've kissed..."

"More than once." Blake cut in. Yang nodded, grinning as she continued.

"But you guys know how Weiss is. The ice princess would probably wait until the day she proposes to even let Ruby know that they were dating in the first place!" Yang laughed at her own joke, Blake chuckling slightly as well.

"Hmm." Pyrrha began. "It does seem like 'feelings' are not one of Weiss's best areas. Frankly I'm quite shocked that they've managed to grow so close, seeing how they're just so different from one another." She was interrupted by Jaune clearing his throat rather loudly and giving her a pointed look, and blushing, she turned back to her friends. "But I suppose opposites  _do_  attract."

Jaune winked at Blake across the table, who grinned back, until her ears picked something up from across the dining hall. "Heads up, lovebirds inbound."

Blake had to kick Yang hard in the shin in order to stifle the blonde's giggles as Ruby and Weiss approached the table, hand-in-hand – a fact that did not go unnoticed by anyone present.

"Hey guys!" Ruby's voice was bright and cheery as she practically dragged Weiss over to the table and plopped down beside her sister on the bench. The heiress's face was unreadable as ever, but Blake thought she might have picked up a ghost of a smile as the girl sat down beside her partner.

"Where are Ren and Nora?" Weiss asked, oblivious to the scrutinizing looks being shot her way by the table at large.

Pyrrha was the first to shake herself out of 'snoop-mode' and offered a genuine smile. "I would imagine that they're still out training. Nora has been working Ren very hard in order to improve his stamina, so I wouldn't expect them back for a while."

Yang leaned over and whispered in Blake's ear. "Working hard to improve his stamina huh?" At this, the Faunus turned beet-red and playfully smacked her girlfriend's arm, trying desperately to suppress a giggle when Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"BLAKE!"

The girl in question shot up at the sound of her name being called from across the room.

"YANG!"

Sun Wukong burst out of a nearby crowd and sprinted towards the table where RWBY and JP sat, knocking over several people in his haste to reach his friends.

"Guys! Ozpin asked me to get you! Says it's extremely important so you better go now!" He panted, doubled over in exhaustion.

Blake's eyes met Yang's, and that was all they needed.

_Are you ready?_

_Yeah._

Blake nodded to her other teammates, who leaped up to join them. "Sorry guys," Ruby began. "No time to explain now, but we promise to tell you everything later." And with that, team RWBY sprinted out of the dining hall, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha dumbfounded as they looked to Sun for answers, who simply shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just the messenger."

* * *

Blake's mind raced as she stepped into the elevator with her team.  _Did Qrow really find the White Fang? He must have, what other reason could Ozpin have to call for us so urgently?_ But with thoughts of the White Fang, there came inevitably thoughts of...

_Adam. I know it's impossible, but I hope you're not there..._

As if Yang could sense her girlfriend's train of thought, she reached over to place an arm around her shoulders. "Hey." The blonde turned Blake's head so their eyes met. "Whatever happens, I'll always be there with you, I promise. We'll get through this together."

"Yeah! We can beat these guys, you'll see!" Ruby piped up, beaming at the group, with Weiss nodding in agreement.

Blake nodded and offered up a weak smile. "You're right guys. I'm not going to mess it up this time, and Yang..." She turned back to her girlfriend.

"Yeah-" She was cut off as Blake drew her into a passionate kiss, letting all that was unspoken pass between them silently, no longer needing words to convey it.

"Ahem..." The sound of Weiss clearing her throat brought the pair back to the world. "Focus, we're here to do a job. Save the...celebrations for afterwards." She cocked an eye brow at the still-intertwined duo.

Yang quickly broke away and saluted enthusiastically. "Yes Ma'am!" To which Weiss rolled her eyes while Ruby and Blake giggled quietly.

* * *

"Ah, there you are girls. I'm glad Mr. Wukong was able to deliver my message quickly." Ozpin spoke calmly as the elevator door opened and the four girls entered the room.

"Ah, I see you've brought your teammates as well." Ozpin nodded contemplatively. "Yes, I suppose it's for the best."

"Qrow!" Ruby explained as she dashed to her uncle and threw her arms around him. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Please kiddo, let's try and keep some air of professionalism about for now." Despite his words, the man grinned as he hugged her back. "Hello Blake, feeling better I hope?" He nodded at the Faunus over Ruby's shoulder, who smiled in return.

"As much as I hate to begrudge families some time to catch up, I'm afraid the matter at hand is of the utmost importance. Ozpin's voice rang out, not angry or annoyed, but serious and concerned, which was enough to silence the room. "Now, Qrow, if you would."

The old scythe-wielder nodded, and lay a map of Vale and the surrounding area on Ozpin's desk.

"It took quite a bit longer than expected to pinpoint the location that the Fang have been using. At first, I assumed that it would be someplace inside the city, with easy access to the docks," he indicated the harbor on his map, "otherwise it would have been very difficult to pull off their most recent attack. But after a few days of searching, my efforts proved fruitless, and it became obvious that the White Fang were no longer based in Vale." Weiss interrupted him.

"So where are they?" She was not a fan of the roundabout way Qrow told his story, and her naturally-occurring impatience was beginning to show.

"I'm getting to that dear," Qrow replied calmly. "Now, just north of Vale there is an abandoned submarine base, most likely left over from the war, and it would seem that not many people know about it anymore." He pointed to a spot a few miles up the coast from the kingdom. "It's secluded, easy to defend in the case of a Grimm attack, and right now, it seems to be the most likely place where these devils could be holed up." Ozpin nodded his agreement before speaking.

"And if they  _are_  there, it's possible that they could be trying to restore the base to full operation, along with the submarines still docked there." Ozpin took a sip of coffee before continuing gravely. "If this is the case, then what happened at the docks is just a taste of the destruction that the White Fang could cause with a fleet of fully-armed, covert war machines."

_So it was a submarine that did it, that day at the docks. Clever._ Blake thought to herself.

Yang continued where the headmaster had left off, speaking slowly and pensively. "They could attack any kingdom, at any time. There would be no way to know where or when until it was already too late..." Blake finished for her.

"Not to mention disrupting inter-kingdom commerce. They could destroy entire shipments at once."

The full gravity of the situation finally dawned on the four girls. This wasn't just about the safety of Beacon, or of Vale, but of humanity as a whole.

But they would not back down. "Tell us what we need to do professor." Ruby spoke confidently, ever the leader, first to dive into the fray. Her teammates nodded, expressions determined, and Ozpin sighed slightly, a small smile on his face.

"I suppose there's no convincing you otherwise?" He was met with glares from Blake and Yang. "I wouldn't have thought so. I admire your courage children, but I do implore you to use the utmost caution while you are out there. Despite all your training, and all your skill, do not forget that you are still just that: Children. While most White Fang members are not innately skilled, they have experience and numbers, both of which can be deadly to the young and brash."

Ruby began to speak, but Ozpin wasn't finished. "In light of this, you four are  _not_  taking down this operation on your own. You are to investigate the base, verify that Qrow's information is solid, and try to determine the true endgame. If at all possible, do not engage the enemy, and do not alert them to your presence. Is that understood?"

The four girls nodded. "Yes sir."

"Very good." He looked sadly towards his students. "Truth be told, I would rather you four left this to someone more experienced. But I understand why you feel the obligation to go yourself, and I will not try to stop you." He looked pointedly at Blake and Yang specifically.

Qrow spoke up. "You will be transported to the location in question tomorrow morning. Please take this time to prepare yourselves."

"Actually sir..." Ruby glanced at her teammates, who nodded. "We're ready now."

"I see." Qrow raised his eyebrows before shooting Ozpin a questioning look.

The old headmaster stared at the four, eyes searching, as if he could read directly into their hearts. He nodded.

"Very well, now it is. Good luck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot returns. Did you like it? I've been sitting on that submarine thing for weeks now, just waiting to finally use it.
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you thought!
> 
> Peace out.


	23. Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time between updates, but I've recently gotten distracted by another Bumblebee project (not a fic), so I kinda lost the plot on this for a while. Anyway, enjoy.

Qrow accompanied the four girls out to the waiting Bullhead, giving last minute details on what they could expect upon arrival.

"Now, as far as we know, it would seem that most of the White Fang's presence in Vale is now centred around this base, so should you be discovered, you will, quite literally, be up against an army." Yang spoke up.

"So basically, don't get caught." Qrow smiled, an amused glint in his eye.

"Basically."

As they stepped into the ship, Qrow placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Please, whatever you do, be careful, and look after each-other. I would very much like to still have two intact nieces with girlfriends when this is over. Good luck."

* * *

As the ship flew out over Vale's northern wall, Ruby pulled out a holographic projection of the base on her scroll. "Alright, I've gone over the schematics, and it looks like there's two easy access points, one here," she indicated the south-eastern edge of the fence that surrounded the base, and they could see that the area was heavily wooded, and would provide cover, allowing them to slip in hopefully without anyone noticing. "And the other one's here." She pointed to the western side of the base. "There's an old access door that should be unguarded, mostly because it's now under water." She finished, glancing hesitantly at Blake.

"There's no way I'm getting wet voluntarily." The cat-Faunus said flatly, while Yang giggled and shot her a look that seemed to say  _"We'll see about that later, kitten."_  Blake cringed slightly, but before Yang could be afforded an opportunity to delve deeper into the subject, Weiss spoke up.

"I think it would be best if we split into partners. We could cover more ground faster, and we would be much less noticeable in groups of two." Ruby nodded in agreement.

Blake groaned. "As long as I'm going in by the northeast entrance."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were nearing the base, and the pilot called back to the four girls. "Alright, I can't get any closer than this, so whoever's goin' in first, this is your stop."

Yang grabbed her sister and nearly squeezed the life out of her with a forceful hug. "Good luck sis. Be safe okay?" Yang looked intently down into her sister's eyes.

Ruby nodded. "Of course, you too Yang. See you guys on the other side." She said before saluting jauntily and disappearing from view, with Weiss right behind her.

Blake sighed. "She's way too cheerful for her own good." The Faunus couldn't help but notice a small sense of forboding growing in her heart, but shook it off.  _It's just nerves._

* * *

"Alright ladies, here we are." The pilot called back once again as he lowered the bullhead into a clearing. "Good luck," he called as Blake and Yang leaped to the ground.

The blonde looking back and waving her thanks, before turning to Blake and smiling. "You ready kitten?"

Strangely, they were met with absolutely no resistance as they picked their way through the dense woods surrounding their objective. There were no guards, no Grimm, nothing at all to impede their progress as they slipped silently into the building through a maintenance door.

As the pair crept into a large room, they couldn't help but notice how strangely quiet it was. Almost as if...

"There's no one here!" Yang cried out, and it seemed that she was right. It was completely empty. No soldiers, no submarines, nothing to suggest that it had even been occupied in the first place.

"Shit, I knew something felt wrong about this place!" Blake exclaimed.

 _Either they were warned about our mission – which would mean the Qrow must have slipped up, or they truly were never here..._ Her train of thought was cut off sharply.

"Damn it Blake, I told you not to come snooping around, didn't I?" The two girls froze as a soft voice rang out from behind them, sending tremors through Blake's body at its haunting familiarity. They turned and were faced with the one man Blake feared as he slowly walked towards them, a hand resting threateningly on the hilt of his sword.

"You!" Yang growled, eyes immediately flashing red. "I swore that I would kill you for what you did to Blake, and for how much suffering you've caused her," she cracked her knuckles. "Looks like I'll be getting the chance a lot sooner than I was expecting."

With that, she dropped her shoulders and charged, arming Ember Celica as she recklessly threw herself at the man, all technique forgotten, all caution thrown to the wind, nothing left but rage.

_Shit, Yang's never seen him fight, she doesn't know how dangerous he is!_

"Yang, wait!" Blake cried out too late, as Yang had already drawn her fist back, aura sparking as her rage fuelled the coming blow. But it never landed, as a red blade flashed into view.

"YANG!"

Adam leaped over the charging blonde, twisting through the air and bringing his sword down between her shoulder blades as she passed, and Yang screamed as Wilt cut a deep gash along her spine. Landing softly, Adam spun and thrust his sword into her lower back and through her abdomen, before sheathing his weapon in a flash, his work done.

"NO!" Blake screamed as her girlfriend was cut down before her eyes, and blood poured forth from open wounds as her body lay motionless on the ground.

Adam turned to her, and she thought she could make out a somewhat regretful look on his face, even as her eyes became blinded by tears that now poured down her cheeks. "I told you not to interfere, Blake. You knew this would happen if you brought her here." He motioned down to the lifeless form of her teammate.

Blake snarled, drawing her blade. "She came here because she loves me, because she wanted to help me." She wiped the tears away, steadying herself as her resolve hardened. "I know that she would die for me, but I'll never let that happen! I won't let you take her from me!"

She instantly hurled Gambol Shroud's sheath across the room, hoping to distract Adam while she charged in for the kill.

Her plan worked, if only for a second. Adam had to roll out of the way as the sheath flew by and embedded itself in the far wall, but he recovered in time to counter Blake's initial strikes, before sweeping her legs and ramming Blush into her abdomen as she fell.

She hadn't even had time to send out a shadow clone, so she felt the full force of her back slamming into the floor, of her spine nearly cracking. Pushing the pain away, she leaped to her feet and released a clone to take the punch aimed at her head, materializing behind her opponent and slashing wildly at his back.

"Blake please, don't make me hurt you, you know that I don't want to." His actions contradicted the sincerity in his voice, loyalty to the White Fang overriding every impulse.

"No." Blake growled. "You tried to kill her, and if I let you go now, neither of us would forgive it." She lashed out at the man, who shook his head sadly.

"If it's a fight you want, I won't deny you, just know that I never wanted this for you." Adam spoke as he deflected her strike effortlessly, and readied himself for the next. "I  _have_ to do this."

His blade danced in unison with her's as he countered every swing, anticipated every move, and slowly, Blake's strength began to leave her. Hoping to end it here and now she thrust her blade forward, praying that it would find its way through Adam's defence, but he sidestepped the attack, and brought Wilt down on her sword, snapping Gambol Shroud in two.

The world seemed to slow as Blake watched in the shattered remnants of her trusted weapon slide listlessly across the floor, as if some part of her had broken along with it. But she was brought back to the world brutally as a foot slammed down on her knee joint, and she screamed as she felt her leg snap.

The cat-Faunus landed heavily on her side, air rapidly escaping her battered lungs and refusing to return as her entire body cried out in pain.

"Blake?" A soft voice called out from somewhere behind her, and she turned to see Yang stirring slightly. "Blake, are you alright?"

The raven-haired girl burst into tears at the combination of the pain and the relief of hearing her partner's voice, agonized as it may be. "Yang, just please, try not to move, okay-"

She was cut off as a boot connected with the side of her head, and her eyes began to darken. "Just stay down Blake. Don't make me kill you."

Yang cried out as loud as her lungs would allow. "Get away from her you son of a bitch!" She tried to move, but gasped as a fresh flare of pain shot through her body.

"No Yang, stop, you'll only make your injuries worse!" Blake barely managed a croak as she fought to retain consciousness, the pale face of her partner the only anchor she had left.

Suddenly, a high-pitched laugh echoed through the room, the malice and contempt that it held boring into Blake's skull as she frantically searched for the source.

She painfully rolled onto her stomach, and her heart stopped as a woman in red slowly strode into view from across the room, smiling maliciously. "Very impressive, Adam, now hurry up and finish them off."

"Raven?" Adam spun around, jaw set and eyes flashing. "I don't take orders from you," he waved a hand dismissively. "Now run along, lap dog, I'm sure  _she_  has much more important work for you to do. I can handle this." However, through the aggressive facade he tried so desperately to maintain, his voice conveyed something else entirely, almost as if he was pleading with her, begging the woman to leave.

Raven laughed coldly. "Oh Adam, I would have thought you'd figure this out by now." Adam growled at the mocking tone she had taken on. "There is no her, there never was a  _her_. There is only  _me._ "

The silence that followed consumed all else in the world, working its way into the dusty recesses of Blake's brain and throwing her into tumultuous darkness.  _Raven, no it can't be...but, maybe? How did I not see this?_

The woman in question smirked, delighting in the power she now held over the room and its occupants, speaking with fresh authority. "Adam, darling. Kill the intruders please."

Blake groaned, laboriously propping herself up on her elbows as her eyes found Yang once again. The blonde still hadn't moved from where she'd fallen after Adam's attack, and blood was flowing liberally from the dark line down her back, as well as the small hole in her midsection. Despite all of this, she still managed to give Blake a rather wobbly smile, refusing to let the pain to shine through as she offered what little support she could to her girlfriend.

_Don't be afraid, kitten. I love you._

_We're going to make it out of this, Yang. I promise._

Blake whimpered as she tried to force herself to her feet – well, the one foot that was usable. She was desperate to do  _something_ , anything other than lie there like a helpless child, but the pain from her injuries was too much, and she collapsed back to the floor. Raising her head slightly, she was met by the blood-red eyes of her former partner as they stared down at her, with something resembling... _is that pity?_

"Adam." Raven's voice rang out again, harsh, cold and expectant. "You wouldn't betray your family would you? You wouldn't betray the White Fang." It was a statement, a challenge. "Kill her."

Silence descended once again, and Blake could practically see the war taking place in the man's head. After an eternity, he spoke.

" _She's_  my family." Adam said resolutely as he stared down at the barely-conscious Faunus at his feet."She may have left me long ago, and I may have hurt her in more ways than I can count, but she was always – and still is – more of a family to me than you have ever been."

With that, he turned from Blake and tossed Wilt to the side. From where she lay bruised and battered, Blake realized that Adam had finally come back to her, back to himself, after years of being lost in the dark.

"I see." Raven's voice was calm, but the fury that hid beneath its surface was enough to send shivers down Blake's spine. "You truly believe that  _she_  is more important than the cause that you've fought for your whole life? More important than your  _people_?"

Adam's nostrils flared. "Our  _cause_ , is to protect the best interests of Faunus everywhere, but if that means being forced to kill someone that once I loved as a sister...I'd rather find my own way."

Raven shook her head in mock disappointment at his words. "Such a shame, I truly thought you were one of us Adam. I hate to lose one of my best soldiers, but disloyalty is something I will not stand for." And with that, she lunged, and the blood sprang forth.

"ADAM!" Blake screamed as the man collapse to his knees in front of her, Raven's blade sticking through his chest. His eyes desperately sought out hers, and upon finding them, he offered a faint smile, enough to bring fresh tears to Blake's eyes. But suddenly the light was gone, and Adam slumped over into a pool of his own blood.

"YOU BITCH!" Blake screamed up at Adam's murderer. "He was defenceless, how could you do that to one of your own?" Grief mixed with fury as all thought of her injuries left her, and all that remained was the desire to kill the person responsible for taking what had so recently been recovered.

Raven scoffed. "One of my own? I have no use for people who are so easily swayed in their convictions." She seemed to ponder something for a minute, before a terrible grin crept onto her lips. "However, now that the traitor is dead, I've got a much better idea for you two, looks like today's your lucky day, girls. You won't be dying yet."

She approached the spot where Blake lay, helpless on the ground, and crouched down. "Now cat, time to sleep."

A fist connected with Blake's jaw, and the world spun into darkness.


	24. Scattered

"Ruby, look she's moving!" Blake heard a voice call out in the darkness, rousing her slightly from the black abyss she'd wandered for an eternity. Gradually, the shadow began dispelling, giving way to blurry shapes and outlines as her world fought its way back into focus.

"I'll get the doctor." The same voice rang out again, closer this time, and clearer, Blake recognizing a certain heiress's frantic tone.

"...Weiss..." The Faunus managed to murmur, desperate for confirmation that this wasn't some cruel dream cast on her by the dark, that her friends were really there. "Ruby?"

A crimson-hued shape found its way into her field of view, the familiar outline of her leader a blessed sight after the pain of the last few hours. "I'm here Blake, don't worry. I'm so happy that you're finally back with us." The words were sincere, but something else was in there, in her tone. Some speck of fear and pain that stood out to Blake like a lone rose in a sea of violets, unmatched in beauty, but of a terrible form.

The Faunus, stretched out an arm, trying to find something with which to anchor herself and pull her mind back to reality, and her heart settled when a smaller hand grasped her own firmly. It was becoming clearer now, first the face of the girl beside her rendered in sharp focus, then her ruffled clothes, the arm stretched out to hold her hand. Lastly the pain etched into her expression, the dark lines around her eyes, the streaks down the side of her face.

 _She's been crying..._ It was evident now. The remnants of tears still lingered on her cheeks, the normally bright silver orbs were rimmed with an angry red tinge.

"Ruby...What happened?" It was a general statement, born of a desperate need to know how she was saved, and what it was that still troubled this girl so.

The young huntress took a deep breath to steady her emotions, and began.

* * *

"Ugh!"

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at the furious face of her partner as she clambered gingerly out of the swampy water that had proved their access to the base. Something about seeing the heiress fuming while sopping wet was particularly satisfying to the young leader of team RWBY.

"I can't believe I agreed to come this way!" Weiss seethed through clenched teeth. "I know Blake is a cat and all, but this is ridiculous!" She glanced down at her soaked clothing, the delicate fabric now drenched in a strange, murky substance that could barely be referred to as water anymore. "Do you have any idea what this jacket cost? And not to mention the fact that neither of us can  _infiltrate_  anything if we leave a bright, shining trail of water behind us!" She shivered slightly, the fact that Ruby was seemingly unaffected by the damp doing nothing to abate her temper.

Ruby sighed.  _Alright, not funny anymore. God, she has to ruin everything doesn't she?_  "Relax, princess, I'll take care of this." She winked at the girl, and suddenly Weiss was enveloped in a cyclonic vortex of wind, being buffeted this way and that while whirling her around to the point of nausea.

Just as it seemed her brain would implode, and she was preparing for another verbal tirade, it stopped, the heiress spinning gracefully to a stop and coming face to face with her panting partner, who stood grinning at her. "Better?" She asked teasingly.

Weiss looked down at herself to find her clothing completely dry, the whirlwind Ruby had created with her semblance having literally beaten the damp off of her. "Wow..." She looked up and planted a quick kiss on her partner's cheek, offering her a rare smile. "Thank you Ruby."

The normally giddy and excited girl flushed and looked away in embarrassment, wishing that she could offer more than just a peck on the cheek in return, but she knew that this wasn't the time. She cleared her throat. "Alright, we have a job to do, and I for one, am not gonna let Blake and Yang beat us."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement to the former statement, they couldn't afford to waste time.

There was an unsettling calm about the place as the pair made their way through darkened hallways, silence pressing down on them, along with the ever growing sensation akin to mice stuck in a maze.

"Does it seem...really quiet to you?" Ruby spoke in hushed tones, conscious of the fact that any sound could give them away, and end their mission before it even had a chance to begin.

Her partner nodded, an uneasy feeling growing in her heart and knawing at her bones. She suddenly felt very small indeed.

But Weiss shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "We have to keep going. No turning back allowed, oh fearless leader."

Ruby nodded, a smirk ghosting across her lips.

After seemingly hours – though it was, in truth, only a few minutes – of endless corridors and passages, the pair emerged into a long, wide-open hall, its most noticeable feature being the massive waterway that ran its length and bathed the cavernous room in a strange green light. Everything about it screamed 'abandoned, and possibly haunted'.

Weiss spoke quietly, not at all put at ease by the eerie nature of their current location. "This must be where they keep the submarines...or kept..."

Ruby 's brow furrowed as she nodded her agreement, having immediately noticed that despite this being a submarine base; and the White Fang's plan involving submarines in some capacity, there was a distinct lack of the vehicles in question about the place. A distinct lack of anything really.

 _This is wrong. Where is everybody?_ "Come on." Ruby motioned for Weiss to follow as she leaped up to a walkway that ran adjacent to the water, before crouching down to help her partner climb up beside her.

They carefully began advancing along the walkway, each footstep – no matter how gingerly taken – echoing alarmingly through the massive space.

"You'd have thought we'd hear  _something_  by now." Weiss hissed, glancing around nervously as if she expected some foul creature to leap out at them as she spoke.

"I know, it's weird." Ruby stopped and gazed out over the dark water. "Qrow did say that he never actually saw this place. Maybe he was wrong and they weren't here after all?" But this was unconvincing, even to herself. Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that they'd been outed by someone.

_Qrow? No way, that's not possible. Professor Ozpin has complete faith in him, and why should I doubt the headmaster?_

_He's my_ uncle...

A soft hand on Ruby's shoulder broke her reverie, and she turned around to lock eyes with her partner, who spoke.

"You think something else is going on here?" Ruby could only nod slowly. "Well, looks like this suddenly turned into a recovery mission. We may as try to find any trace of where they might have gone or what their true plan is. We should look for the others too, no doubt they're wandering around somewhere just like we are."

Weiss's voice was determined and steady, and Ruby knew that she was probably right.

However, their musings were interrupted as a terrifying, blood-curdling scream rang out through the room, its anguished tones reverberating off of the walls and filling the whole world with terror.

"I KNEW IT, THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED!" Ruby hissed frantically, tugging on the sleeve of Weiss's jacket in her haste to get as far away from the source as possible.

"Don't be stupid, you dolt, there are no such thing as ghosts. That was human, someone must be in trouble." Weiss didn't need to say who, as she witnessed fear of a different kind as it settled in her partner's eyes.

"Well hurry!" Ruby yelled, clearly preparing to activate her semblance and speed towards the source of whatever it was causing someone so much pain, but Weiss grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"No! You can't just rush in blind and by yourself, we have no idea what we're up against. We go together." The heiresses statement left no room for argument.

And so they ran, hearts and minds racing as they imagined the kind of terrible things that could befall their teammates should they fail.

_Hang on Sis, I'm coming!_

_If you die on me cat, I will never forgive you!_

Their lungs were burning as they smashed through a large door at the end of the waterway, and jaws dropped when they saw what awaited them.

There was Blake, motionless on the ground, knuckles bloody, leg twisted agonizingly in the wrong direction, a shattered Gambol Shroud lying beside her. The very picture of a fallen warrior. But most of Ruby's attention was drawn to what lay just a few feet behind the broken Faunus.

"YANG!"

* * *

Ruby shuddered slightly as she finished her story. "You guys were both unconscious, and..." Blake felt the grip on her hand tighten as the young girl took a moment to collect herself.

"So we called for help, and got you guys out of there as fast as we could. It's been a few hours now, you must have been pretty beaten up huh?"

It was the very moment Ruby finished that Blake noticed the strange shape and feel of her leg, much heavier and harder than she was used to, and upon glancing to the foot of her bed, she saw a large cast sticking out from beneath the sheets. "Yeah, I guess I was." Blake smirked humorlessly. "But if Yang ca-"

Blake froze at the agonized expression on Ruby's face as Yang's name was finally brought up, fresh tears now springing into existence.

_No..._

"Ruby, what happened?" Same question, different meaning, as now Blake's heart filled with a crippling anxiety, desperate for news of her love.

Ruby's grip became vice-like as tears now poured down her cheeks, teeth clenched. "Blake..." She began.

"Yang might not make it..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that was a little shorter than usual, sorry about that. But good new is that the next chapter will be up in couple of days, so don't worry too much. Yet...
> 
> Peace out


	25. Scattered Pt. 2

It felt like a brick had forced its way into Blake's chest cavity, quite literally delivering blunt-force trauma to her heart as the pained words spilled from Ruby's lips. She couldn't believe it, refused to believe it.

"That's not possible...it can't be..." But the expression on her teammate's face said otherwise.

"I know," she began, wiping away her tears. "It's just, she'd lost so much blood already when we found her..."

Blake could hear the strain in Ruby's voice, as if her brain was trying to fight the words back into her lungs before they could be released, but she continued.

"Her levels were so low, she needed a transfusion, but the doctors had no time to source her type..." She swallowed thickly, and Blake's throat began to constrict as it dawned on her that this indeed was happening. "So they're giving her O-negative and praying that it takes...but we don't know yet."

A shuddering breath escaped Blake's lungs as everything Ruby had said came crashing down on her, and she felt her throat constrict violently, as if trying to strangle itself and end her suffering.

"Take me to her." Blake's tone was steady, as she once more locked eyes with the younger girl.

"But Blake," Ruby's voice was still shaky, still broken as she clearly struggled to reconcile the events of the past few hours. "The doctor says you're not supposed to-"

Blake frowned. "Do I look like I give a shit what the doctor says?" She accentuated her point by ripping the IV from her arm and casting it aside.

After a slight pause, Ruby agreed. She knew how much Yang meant to the Faunus, and how desperate she was to be at her girlfriend's side, especially now. She stood up and grabbed a wheelchair that had stood in the corner of Blake's room.

"Oh come on, you can't expect to walk with your leg like that." Ruby scolded upon seeing the narrowed eyes of her teammate, and Blake sighed, realizing that she was right.

The Faunus groaned as Ruby helped her sit up, her bruised and battered body taking painful exception to the movement as her bones cracked back into place. Eventually, she was sitting, and being slowly wheeled out of the room, down a long hall.

"This isn't Beacon." Blake stated, being all too familiar with the school's medical facilities from her last stay,back when it was her who'd nearly died.  _I guess this must have been how Yang felt last time,_ she thought glumly.

"No, this is the Vale Medical Centre. It was closer and has better care than Beacon..." Ruby's tone was flat and lifeless, resenting the fact that they even needed to be here in the first place.

Blake nodded.  _Whatever's best for Yang._

"She's in here." Ruby stopped in front of a door near the end of the hall, her voice once again becoming strained and somehow smaller.

As Ruby pushed the door open, Blake was immediately presented with Weiss as she spoke solemnly to a man in a long white coat, evidently the doctor.

"She was trying to speak, but I left-" But trailed off when she noticed the door open and Blake being wheeled in. "Blake! Are you crazy, you shouldn't be up!"

Th doctor spun around at her exclamation, and his eyes fixed on the Faunus with a stern expression. "I'm afraid that the young lady is quite correct, Ms. Belladonna. I cannot recommend that you be up..." But his words faded out of Blake's existence as all her attention was drawn to the bed that lay behind him, and she silently motioned for Ruby to wheel her closer.

There she was, the blonde beauty that Blake was so overjoyed to call her own, lying on her side with a disturbingly peaceful expression stretched across her snow-white face, an IV delivering a thin stream of red liquid into her arm. At first glance, it might have seemed that she was sleeping, if not for the dried blood that still clung to beautiful golden tresses, a mark of her suffering and pain.

Gingerly, as if any physical contact would shatter the fragile girl, Blake took one pale hand in her own, alarmed at how frail and lifeless it felt as she interlaced their fingers.

"She's so cold..." The words came out in a uneven whisper, as if the sight before her refused to register, and her lungs were struggling to form words out of the shell-shocked haze that lingered in her mind. She barely noticed when the doctor began speaking once more, her eyes still fixed on broken image of a girl before her.

"Yes...the blood loss was significant to say the least, though thankfully the blade seems to have missed any vital organs." Blake winced as the image of Wilt being thrust through Yang's abdomen flashed in her mind's eye, and it was only then that she noticed the bandages that wrapped around Yang's midsection and up her back. At first, she'd thought it strange that the girl was lying on side as opposed to her back, but it became clear that the location of her injuries made it impossible to do so.

The trance-like state still not broken, Blake reached around the girl's back, through the opening in her hospital gown, and ever-so-gently ran a hand down her spine, just barely brushing the bandages as her eyes began to sting with unshed tears.

Meanwhile, the doctor's voice droned on in the background, accompanied by the steady beat of Yang's heart monitor. "...lacerations were quite serious...will without a doubt be significant scarring..." At some point, Weiss cut in.

"But you  _do_  think she'll recover, right?" There was an uncharacteristically soft tone to the heiress's voice, something that Blake had never heard before.

"I believe that there is a good chance. O-negative  _is_  known as the universal donor, but that is only a general term. In some situations, complications can arise..." He must have noticed the change in Blake's posture – the Faunus having sagged slightly at the words – and switched gears immediately. "But yes, it is only a matter of waiting now. There's nothing more I can do for her, unfortunately."

After a moment of complete silence, Blake spoke, her voice wavering ever so slightly, and still all but a whisper. "Please...could I have moment...?" The quiet desperation in the way she spoke was more than enough reason for the others to immediately vacate the room, leaving the Faunus alone with her girlfriend.

"You know, you really are an idiot Yang." Blake felt the tears begin tickling slowly down her cheeks as she scolded the unconscious girl. "You just had to rush in and get yourself hurt, didn't you?" Her voice was beginning to break, but she continued, speaking to the empty air, as she knew her words fell on deaf ears.

"And look at us now...look at what you've done to me. You don't care, you can't even hear this right now..." The words were now expelled in choked sobs as tears streamed down her face.

"But I have to wait here by myself, praying for the day that you finally wake up again!" Her entire body shook as Yang's form was obscured behind the waves of liquid that now poured from Blake's eyes.

After a long minute, she took several deep breaths, finally releasing Yang's hand from her own and reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind the girl's ear. She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to her partner's icy forehead, whispering softly.

"Just...please. Come back to me."

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a blurred frenzy, as it seemed people were constantly dropping by to visit, but Blake never once left Yang's bedside, snarling at the first suggestion of returning to her own room.

Team JNPR showed up late in the afternoon, accompanied by Sun and Neptune, and while Blake appreciated their thoughtfulness, she found the excess of sympathetic glances being cast her way was more than a little disheartening. Even Sun and Nora, usually the rowdiest of the bunch, were silent and somber as the three huntresses recounted their recent experiences, and the painful events that had put them in their current position.

Velvet stopped by that evening with a bouquet of flowers for Yang's bedside table, and even Ozpin made an appearance, accompanied by a slightly manic Qrow. However, the old headmaster chose not to further interrogate the girls on their findings, and simply offered his condolences to team RWBY.

Qrow on the other hand, nearly broke down into tears as he apologized profusely for sending the girls into such danger, and only calmed down after a particularly forceful hug from Ruby.

It was nearly midnight when Weiss and Ruby finally returned to Beacon for the night, leaving Blake alone with Yang once more, still refusing to return to her room. If she was going to sleep, it would be beside her partner.

Ruby and Weiss had thoughtfully brought a few books from Blake's collection along to keep her entertained, but for the first time in Blake's life, she found that reading held absolutely no appeal.  _Damn it Yang, look at what you're doing to me..._

So she simply sat and stared into nothing, her mind numb from the stress it had endured that day, and she soon felt herself drifting, allowing fitful slumber to wash over her.

* * *

A piercing noise shook her from the daze of an exhausted sleep, wincing as she tried to take stock of her surroundings. The noise didn't stop, like a siren it bored its way into her skull with its steady, piercing tone.  _Wait...that's..._

She whipped her head around to glance over at Yang, and her heart dropped like a stone as a single flat, red line burned into her eyes from the heart monitor.  _No..._

Suddenly, the door burst open and several doctors rushed in, babbling urgently as they surrounded her bed and blocked the girl from view. "I've got no pulse!" One cried out urgently.

 _Yang!_  Blake shot out of her seat, ignoring the searing pain in her leg as tried to hobble over to the bed. "Yang!"

A doctor turned around and grabbed her, holding her back to prevent her from interfering with their efforts and trying to sit her back down, but Blake wouldn't let him. "No, let go of me!"

"Yang!"  _No, please!_

"YANG!"

Blake screamed as she shot awake, tears streaming down her face as she realized that it had been a dream.

There was the reassuring beep of the monitor, there was the peaceful face of her partner, and both stared unflinchingly down at Blake as she collapsed into her chair and sobbed quietly while the sun slowly rose over the horizon.


	26. Pages Turned

The bright, early-morning sunshine did absolutely nothing to lift Blake's spirits as it blared arrogantly in through large windows on opposite wall. To her, it was only a reminder of what she was missing, what was currently lying, unconscious on the bed next to her. Blake didn't care how cliché it sounded, because it was true. Without Yang, her world felt cold, dark and empty

Upon glancing over at the girl, her heart fluttered as she noticed that some of the colour had returned to Yang's face. She reached out and gently stroked her girlfriend's cheek, smiling slightly when she was no longer met with the alarmingly cold flesh of the night before.

 _Yang would probably have several "sunrise" jokes saved up for a moment like this...And they'd all be just awful._ Blake smiled sadly. She would give anything to hear one of Yang's stupid cracks right now, anything to dispel the emptiness in her heart at the blonde's absence.

But there was nothing but silence. Agonizing, all-consuming silence.

At least, until the door burst open and Ruby rushed in, carrying what looked to be tray of food. "Look, I know what you're gonna say..." The younger girl began, holding her hands up defensively once she'd set the tray down and noticed the expression on Blake's face. "But you have to eat, end of story."

The Faunus shook her head slowly, body answering before her brain had even decided whether she wanted to eat or not. "I'm not hungry." She said robotically.

"Blake." The Faunus's heart broke at the sadness in Ruby's voice, her resolve crumbling rapidly. "Starving yourself isn't going to make Yang better any faster. Please, just eat." She took the tray and placed it across the arms of Blake's wheelchair with a small smile, before pulling up a chair of her own and plopping down next to the bed.

Blake let out a long sigh and picked up her fork, before digging into the tuna that Ruby had so thoughtfully brought to her.  _Talk about stereotypes._ The cat-Faunus smirked.  _Though, she's not wrong..._

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Blake devoured her meal, the Faunus now extremely grateful for Ruby's insistence as her body made it very apparent that she hadn't eaten in over twenty-four hours.

"Do you think she's dreaming?" Blake looked up from her fish at the girl who'd just broken their silence and was now staring wistfully at her sister.

Blake studied the far-away look in Ruby's eyes, feeling a surge of empathy for her teammate. _Yang is like a mother to Ruby, so no matter how hard this is for me, it has to be ten times worse for her..._

Blake wheeled herself to Ruby's side and placed a hand comfortingly on the girl's shoulder. "She'll wake up soon, Ruby. You'll see."

_She has to._

...

As the day wore on painfully, Blake found herself becoming increasingly restless, confined to the prison of her wheelchair as she waited for the moment that it seemed would never come.

Ruby and Weiss had both departed for Beacon, the monotony of everyday life pulling them back in and leaving Blake alone in limbo once again. She needed something, anything to distract her mind from the empty silence that filled her world, so she grabbed the nearest book from the stack that sat next to her.

Usually upon opening a book, Blake would feel a strange sense of excitement and anticipation as she waited for the pages to drag her in. But this time, it was a desperate escape, and she knew it.

To her, a book was a living, breathing entity, with thoughts and feelings of its own. It was something about the way that a novel could tickle her with a clever turn of phrase, make her feel happy or sad or fearful, all with the simple use of ink on paper. A book was a place where her mind could live on its own, free from the constraints of her body, free from worry and doubt as the story enveloped her senses and brought her away into another world.

But today, it was different. Blake was an unwanted visitor in a place that she didn't belong. The words seemed to actively fight against her eyes as they roamed fitfully over the characters, any information presented leaving no mark other than to remind her of what it was that she tried so desperately to escape.

 _Maybe it's just this book in particular, I've never liked it much anyway._ She snapped the book shut and set it down, immediately moving to pick up the next in the stack.

But it was no use. Every book she selected refused to allow the escaped she so desperately needed as she frantically leafed through pages upon pages of painful reminders.

They seemed to delight in pushing her back out, sometimes with a character that resembled Yang, sometimes with events similar to her own recent experiences, and worst of all, sometimes with the tragic death of someone's beloved.

And so book after book was picked up, skimmed and slammed back down, Blake's frustration mounting with each failed attempt. As the very last book she had proved just as painful as every other, something broke inside of her, and she threw the text across the room with an anguished sob, before slamming her fist into the stack beside her.

She collapsed into her chair and cried out in frustration as books scattered over the floor, pages ripping, spines cracking, and covers bending. But she didn't care. As far as Blake was concerned, even books were her enemy now, nothing but another source of pain and anger.

"I thought dogs were supposed to be the ones who destroyed books."

Blake froze. There was only one person she knew who would be so blatantly racist in her presence. One person who she would immediately forgive no matter how insulting the words had been, because she knew that there had been no ill intent behind them.

Blake's heart leaped to her throat as she turned around and was met by the beautiful, violet orbs who's absence had left such a void in her heart. "...Yang?" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper, and she could feel tears forming in her eyes as the blonde beauty grinned weakly back at her.

Noticing her girlfriend's tears, Yang took Blake's hand and squeezed, before gently pulling her down for a soft kiss, short and sweet. "I'm sorry, kitten. Were you waiting?"

Blake's words failed her, all she could do was reach over to caress Yang's cheek and smile back through her tears. The pair gazed into each other's eyes, lost in a haze as everything but each other faded from reality or importance.

"How are you feeling?" Blake asked gently, as if words alone would somehow push Yang back to whatever dark abyss from which she'd so recently returned.

Yang grinned and gently ran her thumb across Blake's lips. "Better now that you're here."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Really blondie, you just woke up and you immediately roll out some awful pickup line?"

"You know you love me." Yang teased.

In response, Blake leaned down and captured Yang's lips once more, the familiar softness a greater comfort than any book could have ever been. She broke away and began placing gentle kisses along Yang's jawline, up her cheek, and a final one on her forehead as she whispered into her partner's skin. "I was so worried, I thought you might die..."

Suddenly, Yang grabbed Blake's chin and brought her head back down so that their eyes met once again, and the Faunus could see the beginnings of tears gathering on the shores of lavender oceans.

"I could never stay away, not when I have you to come back to."

Blake's heart melted. "I love you so much, Yang. Just...don't ever scare me like that again."

"I promise." Yang moved to pull herself closer to her girlfriend, but winced as a sharp sting shot through her. "Ow, shit! I guess I'm still pretty cut up huh?"

Blake nodded. "Try not to move, you'll heal faster if you don't agitate the wounds." She nonchalantly pressed a button to call the nurse, hoping to get something that would dull her partner's pain. She knew, however, that Yang would refuse.

The blonde girl groaned. "Ugh, this sucks! You know how restless I get. I can barely make it through one of Port's lectures without some  _extra_ stimulation." She winked at Blake. "I need a distraction."

Blake sighed, knowing all too well what Yang usually implied when she referenced "distractions". "Yang, I'm pretty sure that's out of the question right now..."

Yang cut her off with a wave of the hand. "I know kitten, I'm not  _that_ dumb." Her eyes scanned the room, searching for a while then coming to rest on the floor.

"Read to me?"

Blake smiled, picked up the nearest book and dusted it off. "Sure Yang."

...

The next few days had a certain strange, dreamlike quality to them. While Blake was overjoyed that Yang would make a full recovery, both girls rapidly became frustrated with the monotony of being stuck at the hospital, not to mention the physical gap that was forced upon them.

With Blake unable to walk, she was confined to her wheelchair for any time she spent out of bed, and seeing as Yang's wounds had yet to fully heal, any major movement on her part usually resulted in an unpleasant burning sensation.

As such, the majority of their time was spent with Blake at Yang's beside. So close, yet so agonizingly far away, as Blake would love nothing more than to be able to curl up beside her girlfriend and fall asleep in her arms.

The moment Ruby had learned of Yang's awakening, she'd appeared at the hospital in seconds and had nearly crushed her sister to death in greeting. She and Weiss still visited on a daily basis, their presence a welcome distraction from the dull, slightly lonely existence that Blake and Yang had been forced to adopt.

Their conversations often turned to Raven and the White Fang, yet no matter how much they pondered or discussed, none of them were ever able to come up with a believable theory as to where they'd gone. The submarine base had been their first and only lead, and now that it had drawn a blank, team RWBY found themselves in the dark once more.

They specifically avoided bringing up Adam.

Finally, after what had seemed weeks, Yang had recovered enough to begin moving on her own without risk of re-opening her wounds, and Blake's leg had healed sufficiently to allow the use of crutches instead on being confined to a chair.

The first thing Yang had done upon slowly climbing out of bed was leap into Blake's lap and draw her into a long, needy kiss, the Faunus giggling as Yang's hands roamed every inch of her body. In truth, both girls were desperate to once again feel each other's touch, and Blake eagerly reciprocated Yang's attention, all while the nurse yelled something incoherent about "strenuous activity."

Yang relented with a groan, contented to simply hold Blake in her arms, all the while shooting the Faunus a look that said something along the lines of. " _I'm so going to fuck you senseless later_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just gonna throw this out there, it might be a while until my next update, but seeing as everything's fine with Yang now, it hopefully won't be too torturous for you :P
> 
> Peace out


	27. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So...I've lost pretty much all inspiration and creative drive for this story. That being said, I plan to return to writing as soon as inspiration strikes once more, but until then, I leave you with this: The "Interlude".

"Man, is it good to be home!" Yang exclaimed as she flopped down onto Blake's bed and let out a contented sigh. The Faunus smiled and wordlessly hobbled over to the window, taking a deep breath of the cool evening air that wafted gently through the trees. Black tresses danced across her cheeks and neck, tickling her slightly and sending shivers through her body, though it was a welcome change from the stuffiness of their hospital room.

She turned back to see Yang still stretched out luxuriously on her bed, staring up at her partner as she wordlessly beckoned for Blake to join her.

The Faunus rolled her eyes. "Really Yang? You just got released from the hospital, and all you can think about is bedtime?"

The blonde grinned. "Aww, come on Blakey. I missed my kitty cuddles."

Blake sighed.  _Thank god Ruby and Weiss weren't here for that verbal abomination._

The other half of team RWBY had insisted on bringing their teammates' food up to the room despite Blake's protests. Ruby had been adamant that they were to do as little work as possible until they'd both fully recovered, and Weiss had simply nodded along, knowing better than to argue with Ruby when it came to a teammate's – and more importantly, sister's – health. Soon after, they had retreated to the library at Ruby's suggestion, both to study, and to give Blake and Yang some much needed time alone.

Blake considered playing coy with her girlfriend, but in truth, she longed for the feeling of Yang's body pressed against her own, of strong arms wrapped around her as she slept, of the tender, loving caresses of sleepless nights when they would lie silently in each other's arms.

"Alright Yang, you win. But at least get changed first."

The blonde nodded and slowly rose from the bed with a yawn. The pair changed in silence, until the sight of Yang peeling off her yellow tank top caught Blake's eye.

As the milky skin of Yang's back came into view, so too did the scar tissue that wound its way down her spine, a constant reminder of the pain of the last few days.

The blonde jumped as cold fingers made contact with her skin and shivered as they began slowly tracing the outline of her wound.

"You know," Blake began softly. "You could probably have surgery to get rid of these." The Faunus noticed a frown begin to grow on her partner's lips and hastily added. "Not that I think you should...of course...I'm fine with them...just if you wanted to-"

"Blake." Yang cut her off, a seriousness in her voice that Blake was not used to. The blonde turned to face her partner and placed both hands on her hips. "I got these scars while fighting the man who hurt you, who I swore to kill." She reached up to gently stroke Blake's cheek. "I got these for you, kitten. I'm keeping them."

Tears welled in Blake's eyes. "Yang-" But the brawler silenced her once more, this time with a kiss, warm and slow and tender as she'd ever felt, and Blake instantly melted into Yang's lips.

One thing about Yang at which her girlfriend still marvelled, even after all this time, was Yang's ability to ensnare her senses, and seemingly replace them with her own. Blake still felt the spark every time their lips met, her chest still fluttered at the sensation of Yang both grounding her like an anchor, and carrying her away on a flying current.

However, the pair broke apart before they allowed passion to take over, the nurse's words regarding strenuous activity still ringing irritatingly in their ears. So Blake simply took her lover's hand and led her over to their bed.  _When did I start thinking of it as_ our _bed?_

But as Yang snuggled into her and planted a kiss on the base of her neck with a whisper, "I love you kitten." it became quite obvious to Blake: Everything was  _theirs_.

Their love, their pain, their anger, their passion, even their bed.

Right now, the world was only the two of them. The White Fang, Raven, the submarine plot...those were problems for another day, and tonight...

They'd earned the rest.


	28. Omake 1: Otherwise Occupied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As I said in chapter 3, this is literally just the smut scene from chapter 3-4 which I've taken out and relocated to here. Sorry about that :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE AS OF AUGUST 2015:
> 
> Yo, sup. Long time no see...or read...or something. Ok, before you say anything, yes I have chapter 28 currenly on the go, "in production" if you will.
> 
> I have also decided to do a general rewrite of the story, nothing huuuge plot-wise, but fixing issues with pacing, grammar etc.
> 
> So uh, if you feel like rereading that would be pretty sweet (unless you're here for the first time in which case pls read it in general). And yeah, stay tuned for that new chapter pretty soon.

They finally reached their dorm room, which was thankfully unoccupied, burst in and locked the door, to ensure that Ruby had no further...opportunities.

Blake grabbed her girlfriend and shoved her against the wall, hands on her shoulders, any thought of foreplay abandoned due to Yang's teasing over the past hour or so. "Eager are we-" Yang was silenced as Blake crashed their lips together, the kiss fast and desperate.

"No no no, you're doing it all wrong," Yang teased as they broke apart. Then, placing her hands on Blake's cheeks, she tilted her face up. "More like this."

She brought their lips together, much more gently than before, and Blake melted into the contact, her heart quickening at the feeling of kissing the girl she loved. "You're so beautiful Yang."

Yang flashed a brilliant smile as she pushed a stray strand of hair from Blake's face, and their lips met once again.

The kiss heated up as Yang's hands found their way to Blake's waist, the faunus in turn wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck, pulling her even closer. Mouths opened and tongues wrestled in a fierce battle for dominance, with Yang the eventual winner as she invaded her partners mouth, exploring and tasting every inch, Blake moaning softly at the welcome intrusion.

Breaking away, Blake nipped at Yang's jawline and down her neck, placing heated, open-mouthed kisses as she worked her way down to the blonde's chest. Once again, her hand found its way to Yang's breast, kneading the soft mound, just as she had last night before Ruby's interruption.

But this time, Yang had other plans. Blake gave a small squeak of surprise as the brawler picked her up by the thighs. "Oh Blake, getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?" Carrying Blake over to her bed, she all but forced her onto her back, hands pinning the girls wrists above her head. "I told you, you're having it _my_ way. Now, stick your tongue out kitten."

Somewhat hesitantly, Blake complied, opening her mouth and presenting her tongue to Yang.  _What is she-, oh fuck..._

The raven-haired girl couldn't stop the lustful moan as she felt her partners lips wrap around it, teasing with her own as she sucked on the girls tongue.

Blake could feel the heat building between her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around Yang's back, rocking gently, desperate for the friction. Yang's head stopped bobbing up and down as she released the faunus' tongue, drawing her into another deep kiss while releasing the girls wrists, hands cupping her lovers face.

"Bad move Yang," the faunus growled. Her hands free, she flipped the blonde onto her back, straddling her hips. Yang smirked, "Feisty are we?"

Blake responded by ripping the brawlers jacket open, "Off," she commanded. Yang, still smirking, sat up to allow the jacket to fall from her shoulders, yellow tank top soon following as Blake eyed her goal hungrily. She groped her partner's chest, squeezing roughly, grinning as she was finally able to coax a moan from her lover. Leaning down, she pushed the bra out of the way, and her hands finally found bare skin. While her left hand continued to massage Yang's right breast, she began to tease the other with her mouth, only nips and small licks at first, but soon her lips found their way to a nipple, tongue swirling around the hardened bud.

Yang let out a loud gasp as Blake began to suck hard on her left nipple, biting down gently. She bucked her hips sharply up into Blake as her arousal grew, but still manged to smirk as she realized something. "You've left yourself open Blakey," and before she knew it, Yang had ripped the bow off, and taken her left ear into her mouth. Blake shuddered violently with the new sensation, Yang returning the treatment she had received onto the feline appendage as she sucked, teased, and bit gently, Blake almost collapsed, never having felt anything like this before, and Yang knew she had the girl completely at her mercy.

Her hand made its way down to the girls core and began teasing her clit through the soaked shorts, still sucking on Blake's ear, causing the faunus to buck violently into her hand.

"Yang, please." Blake's demand was breathless and husky, and Yang decided she had teased enough. Ripping her clothes off with practised ease, Blake was left in nothing but her bra and panties, Yang's finger rubbing her clit harder as tension built in her core. It still wasn't enough for the faunus, as she whispered the demand in her girlfriend's ear.

"Yang, just fuck me already."

"Wow Blake, naughty mouth, I'm going to have to do something about that." Without warning she pulled the girls panties down and plunged two fingers into her, thumb still teasing her clit.

Blake collapsed on top of her lover at the sudden but incredible sensation, moaning loudly as Yang began slowly pumping in and out. The moans were stifled as Yang brought their lips together in a passionate kiss, breasts rubbing against each other as Blake rocked in time with Yang's thrusts.

"More," she gasped into her partners mouth, and Yang added a third finger, crooking them slightly to hit a spot that had Blake seeing stars. The pressure inside of her was unbearable. "Faster, please Yang."

The blonde obliged, increasing her speed, and Blake began moaning in time with each thrust. Blake was getting close, her mind beginning to blank as she soared higher and higher, but the mischievous blonde still had one more curveball to throw. Without warning, Yang withdrew her hand, only to pull Blake in top of her so that the faunus was straddling her face, and plunged her tongue into Blake's pussy.

"Yang I'm...oh fuck." Blake's vision was beginning to blur, squeezing and kneading her breasts while her hips rolled uncontrollably. Yang grabbed the girls thighs to steady her, and began to suck on her clit, sending Blake tumbling over the edge.

The faunus came with a shuddering scream, muscles seizing up as the release hit her with waves of ecstasy. She rode out the high of the longest orgasm she'd ever experienced, filling her partners mouth with her cum.

Yang grinned, loving the taste as she tried to not miss a single drop of the sweet nectar, feeling a slight sense of pride at having such control over the girls body.

Blake collapsed in a quivering heap, rolling off of her lover and onto her back. Yang leaned over and drew her into a passionate kiss, letting the girl taste herself on Yang's lips.

"Fuck Yang, that was, amazing!" The girl still gasping for breath.

"Yeah, I  _am_ pretty amazing, aren't I?" Blake answered by biting gently on the blonde's lower lip.

"Don't get cocky on me so quickly Yang."

The blonde's eyes flashed. "Speaking of cocky." She motioned over to her dresser.

"Your turn."

Yang lightly brushed Blake's clit, still teasing the poor girl. Blake shivered in Yang's arms. "You're awful. Just awful." Her voice breathy.

"I know," Yang's telltale smirk flashed across her face, "but you love it." She noticed that Blake was still wearing her bra, something that she would not stand for.

Reaching behind Blake's back, her hands found the catch and unhooked it, freeing her partner's breasts, her entire body now exposed to view.

"You're so beautiful, Blake." All teasing aside, Yang gazed lovingly down on her girlfriend, "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing. I guess that means we're perfect for each other." Blake's hand found the back of Yang's head, pulling her down for yet another tender kiss.

Yang whispered into her partners mouth. "I need you now."

Her body now more or less back under her own control, Blake slowly rolled Yang over until she was on the bottom, lips still locked in their intimate dance. Once again, mouths opened and tongues intertwined, but as Yang's began to wrestle with her own, Blake growled out, "No. My turn."

With that, she forced her tongue into Yang, dominating her partners mouth, wanting nothing more than to ravish the girls body. "I'm going to make you scream for me Yang, whether you want to or not."

Yang rather thought she wanted to, but would never admit it. "You can  _try_ kitten."

Blake's hand grabbed at Yang's breast roughly, teasing and pinching her nipple, delighted with the low moan that reached her ears. The other hand unclasped Yang's skirt, throwing it unceremoniously on the floor. She began to tease Yang's pussy through her shorts, slowly running a single finger along her lips, giving the tiniest of flicks to her clit as she passed. Yang bucked at the contact, needing more, but she would have to suffer a while longer.

Blake hooked a finger around the waistband of her shorts, Yang lifting her hips to allow the garment to slide off and join her skirt. She continued her torment of her girlfriend's pussy, pressing one finger ever so slightly into Yang through her panties, before withdrawing, much to Yang's frustration.

She wanted to take control and  _make_ Blake fuck her, but Blake slammed her back down onto the bed. "Oh Yang, if you keep trying to take over, I'll have to put your hands in a more...manageable position."

The pure lust in Blake's voice almost made her cum right then and there, almost. As Blake drew her in for a bruising kiss, she ripped the girls panties off. Then she began kissing her way down yang's body, paying extra attention to each breast, teasing and biting on her nipples.

As she made her way lower, she could see that Yang was already dripping, her body begging for release. But Blake was not so kind, she circled her tongue around Yang's belly button, then began placing open-mouthed kisses on the inside of her left thigh, laving her tongue towards Yang's core.

Finally, her head in between Yang's legs, she gave one long, experimental lick along Yang's pussy, causing the girl to shudder violently. As she reached her clit, she gave it a light kiss, still teasing.

Yang was now entirely fed up with the torment she was undergoing, so she tangled her hands into Blake's hair, trying to bury the girls face in her pussy herself.

"I warned you Yang." Blake growled.

Reaching for her black scarf, which had at some point been ripped off and had landed on the floor, she grabbed Yang's arms and forced them above her head. Wrapped the scarf around Yang's wrists, she crawled up the girls body and tied her securely to the bedpost, making sure that her breasts were right in Yang's face as she did so.

"Now, that's better, isn't it?" Blake giggled as Yang had begun nipping at her breasts.

"You're going to pay for this kitten. I've got  _plans_ for you."

"We'll see who ends up paying whom." Blake drew Yang into a rough kiss, biting down on the girls lip, making her partner whimper.  _Now that's a sound I could get used to hearing._

Her hand began to rub slow circles around Yang's clit. "Blake, just fuck me already."

"You'll be begging for release by the time I'm done with you." With that she once again made her way slowly down Yang's body, until her face rested directly between her partners legs. Using two fingers, she spread her partners lips, and slowly ran her tongue along Yang's pussy yet again.

With her hands bound, there was nothing Yang could do but roll her hips upward, desperate for her partner to eat her out.

Blake began to roll her tongue languidly around Yang's clit, occasionally giving a slight nip to the swollen bud which made Yang jerk uncontrollably, pulling at her bonds, but never able to free herself.

At last, Blake pressed one finger ever so slowly into her partners pussy, and Yang moaned with a combination of ecstasy and frustration as she began slowly pumping in and out, not nearly enough to relieve the ache in between her thighs.

"Blake." Yang moaned out.

"Yes Yang?" Blake asked coyly, resting her chin on the junction of Yang's thigh.

"Please. Blake...please fuck me." The sound of her girlfriend begging like that was one of the hottest things Blake had ever heard. "Make me cum...please. I need you to make me cum Blake."

Finally thinking that she had tortured the girl enough, she quickly withdrew the digit from Yang's pussy, and immediately plunged three fingers into her partner, Yang screaming, nearly blacking out from the pleasure.

Blake began thrusting her fingers in and out rapidly, Yang moaning louder as her pussy began leaking juices down Blake's arm.

As she pumped faster, the faunus swirled her tongue around her lovers clit, sucking and biting until she had Yang quivering, her climax nearing.

Blake began focusing on depth, crooking her fingers to hit a spot even deeper inside of Yang, her other hand reaching up to twist Yang's nipple.

Yang screamed out Blake's name as she came violently, juices flowing into her partners waiting mouth as her mind blanked with the explosive pleasure of release.

As she came down from her high, she noticed Blake licking her lips, a satisfied grin on her face. "Yang, you've made a mess, clean it up," she said, before placing her fingers to Yang's lips.

"You're too sexy for your own good kitten," she said as she took them in her mouth and began to clean them, tasting herself on Blake's fingers before they were removed, and Blake said, "And here," as she once again offered her tongue to Yang.

Yang could taste a combination of herself and her girlfriend as she cleaned Blake's tongue with her own, wanting to pull the girl in for a kiss, but realizing her hands were still bound.

"Umm, Blake? Could you untie me now?" Still struggling to find enough breath to speak.

"Sure Yang, but I kind of like you tied up, I'm going to have to do it more often."

"Good luck with that," breathed as she felt her bonds loosen.

Grabbing Blake's neck, she yanked her down for a fierce kiss, fingers twining in her gorgeous black hair. As they broke apart, Yang wrapped hers arms around Blake's waist, pulling her close as her eyelids began to droop. "I think I love you Blakey."

"I think so too."

"I'm gonna need a rain check on those plans I have for you though." Yang joked.

"There's plenty of time for that later. Right now, I just want to fall asleep in your arms."

So they did.


	29. Omake 2: In class? Really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did that smut moving thing again. Took out and moved some stuff that didn't necessarily have to be where it was.

Yang made sure to choose a seat at the very back of  _Doctor_ Oobleck's lecture hall, grinning slyly at her girlfriend as she sat down.  _I'll let her think that I'm paying attention, for now._

As Oobleck reached the halfway point in his customary dizzying, ranting lecture, Yang could feel her attention straying from the green-haired whirlwind and onto the girl to her right. Blake was trying her very best to remain attentive, but even  _she_ had to admit that sometimes these lecture could get slightly overwhelming.

_So let's have some fun, shall we?_ Yang scooted closer to Blake, the faunus flushing as she felt the blonde's bare leg press against her own, and for once, Yang couldn't help but thank the overly-short uniform skirts. She began stroking the inside of Blake's thigh, squeezing occasionally, each time bringing her closer and closer to her girlfriend's core.

Blake bit her lip do prevent a soft moan as Yang's hand reached underneath her skirt and ghosted over her sex. How Yang had missed the feeling of having Blake wrapped around her finger.

Pushing Blake's panties aside, Yang brushed a single finger against the faunus's clit, making her gasp quietly, but she still hadn't asked Yang to stop.  _So despite how she may act, she wanted this._ Yang smirked.

Using her index and ring finger, Yang spread Blake's lips and ran her middle finger along her partner's sex, Blake shuddering violently, but managing to stay relatively silent. In response, the faunus wrapped her left arm around Yang, forced her hand under her jacket and blouse, and groped at her breast roughly.

"Yang." Blake was growling now, making her desires perfectly clear. Yang smirked. "If you say so kitten."

Blake turned and bit down on Yang's shoulder to hide a gasp as the blonde slowly eased her middle finger into Blake, who trembled, pinching Yang's nipple through her bra.

Yang began slowly pumping her finger in and out of Blake's sex, the faunus's chest heaving as she desperately tried to stifle the moans that so wanted to escape her lips. Her arousal was soaking the bench they sat on, and Yang smirked as she imagined the reaction of whoever sat here next.

Blake stretched up to nibble on her partner's ear, suckling gently. "Yang, please." She whispered huskily in her girlfriend's ear, not caring where they were.

"You got it kitten." Yang added a second finger, pumping faster while massaging Blake's clit with her palm.

"Ahh!"

"Miss Belladonna! Is something wrong?"  _Shit!_ "It's nothing professor, we're fine. Please continue." Yang tried to hide the fact that she was currently knuckle deep in Blake's pussy.

"Very well, but if you could refrain from any further disturbances it would be much appreciated." With that, Oobleck returned to his lecture.

Yang started to remove her hand from Blake's sex, but was stopped by the faunus grabbing her arm, nails digging in.

"Don't. You. Dare." Blake snarled, desperate to relieve the ache between her thighs. "I don't give a fuck about Oobleck, finish what you started."

Yang smirked. "You sure about this Blakey? Didn't know you could be so naughty."

"I swear Yang, if you don't fuck me  _now_ _,_  next time it's my turn, I will keep you on the edge of cumming until you pass out."

Yang licked her lips. "Sounds pretty hot to me."

Blake glared at Yang, who finally gave in, "Alright kitty."

Yang thrust two digits back into Blake, other hand reaching across to massage her clit as she pumped her fingers faster, the faunus breaking down as she climbed towards her climax.

She unconsciously began to roll her hips, desperate for friction, and Yang added a third finger, teasing and pinching the girl's clit while she focused on hitting a spot deep inside of Blake, a spot she knew would send the her over the edge.

There it was, the blonde felt Blake's walls contract around her, and pulled the girl into her arms as she came. Blake's cries were muffled by Yang's chest, body seizing as the orgasm hit her hard, cum spilling over Yang's hand and onto the bench and floor.

Yang looked down at her partner, satisfied to see Blake gasping for air, her face flushed bright red. The blonde leaned down to lick a bead of sweat from the faunus's nose, Blake smiling as she did so.

"So. Sex in the classroom. That would be a first for me." Blake panted.

Yang laughed as the bell rang, pulling her girlfriend up with her. "Oh, you have much to learn my young kitty-cat."

"So do you." Blake whispered in her ear, Yang's breath hitching at the words as they approached Weiss and Ruby.

"You two seemed to be enjoying yourselves..." Weiss glared at them as they walked out of class, Yang blushed, embarrassment quickly gave way to amusement as they all heard the scream from the classroom they had just left.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"


	30. A New Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy it's back.
> 
> Lil bit shorter than usual just cause I'm still gettin back into the swing of things.
> 
> As it turns out, my Qrow isn't all that close to canon Qrow but fuck it.
> 
> Also I'm still trying to figure out where I want to go from here plot-wise so it might be a little while until the next new chapter.
> 
> Read it and like it.

Blake awoke to the feather-light tickle of hairs brushing against her cheek, and sighed gently into the familiar, pleasant sensation. Gingerly, she turned herself around to gaze upon the peaceful sleeping form of her other half, the girl with whom she felt both perfectly at ease, and delightfully nervous.

Sunlight beamed through the window, illuminating the waves that so delicately framed Yang's face and filling Blake's vision with beautiful golden light. Here, in this moment, there was no pain, there was no anger, there was no worry, as all the world fell away, leaving only a sleeping girl, and her dumbstruck observer.

Unfortunately, the spell was broken as a fist shot up from beneath the covers and – gently – slammed itself into Blake's gut, more of a playful jab than anything, but still enough to shock the Faunus back to her senses.

"Hey!" Blake hissed, "What was that for?" Her eyes narrowed at the cheeky grin that had settled on Yang's face.

"It's not fair that you get to stare at me when I can't return the favour, ya know." Yang whispered, violet orbs still veiled, her voice heavy and drawling.

A wicked smirk crept to her lips.  _Time for something new._  She grabbed a fistful of Yang's hair and hissed softly in the girl's ear. " Really? And who said it was  _you_  who made the rules here, Blondie?" She delighted at the poorly hidden hitch in Yang's breath. "If I want to admire my girlfriend's perfect body, she'll just have to deal with it." Blake teased.

Yang's eyes finally opened. "Damn Blake, I won't deny that you're really goddamn sexy right now."

Blake's eyes flashed mischievously. "Wish I could say the feeling was mutual." In response to the playful insult Yang's face quickly rearranged itself into a picture-perfect pout, eyes wide and bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly. However, 'ever so slightly' was all the nimble Faunus needed as she dove in and capture the blonde's bottom lip between her teeth.

Yang gasped slightly at the sudden contact, but recovered quickly and melted into the kiss. Blake did her best to pull the girl even closer, shifting her leg to rest in between those of her partner, but completely forgetting about the cast that still enclosed her limb...

"Ow fuck!"

"Sorry!"

"It's okay Blakey," Yang grimaced as she reached down to rub her leg. "We'll just have to be more careful until that damn thing comes off."

* * *

Whether a blessing or not, it seemed that after this most recent debacle, the White Fang had either ceased operations completely, or relocated to somewhere less...accessible, to the prying eyes of Ozpin's clocktower. Blake suspected the latter.

They'd gone to see him of course, as a team, for what could be referred to as a debriefing, had it not been for the fact that no real mission had been completed, only delayed.

Qrow was there as well, still apologetic, still distraught over having sent such young and inexperienced huntresses to what easily could have been their deaths. It was while Ruby was in the middle of reassuring him once more that Ozpin spoke.

"Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang..." The four huntresses straightened up at the mention of their respective names. "First of all, I would like to say how proud I am of you four. Your courage and tenacity is in keeping with the highest levels of huntsman and huntress tradition."

The members of team RWBY shifted awkwardly at this, not used to such high praise from the headmaster. Before any of them could speak, Ozpin continued.

"However, please accept my deepest apologies. It is my fault that you were placed in such danger, my fault that you now bear fresh scars to accompany those with which you were already burdened." His eyes flickered over Blake for a moment. "I was a fool. A fool to believe that such young and inexperienced huntresses would be capable of completing such a treacherous task."

Yang had opened her mouth to speak with an indignant look on her face, but Ozpin raised a hand for silence.

"That is not meant as an insult to your skill as warriors, but rather as an insult to my skill as a headmaster." Yang closed her mouth.

"As a headmaster, I must take personal responsibility for the well-being of my students, and by sending you into such a situation while woefully unprepared and ill-equipped, I failed in that responsibility." He turned slightly to glance out the window down into the courtyard. "Perhaps I was arrogant, perhaps I was too eager to prove the skill of my students, but whatever the case, you must know that the blame for this mission's failure does not lie with you."

The girls allowed his words to sink in, and a long silence descended of the room.

Fittingly, it was the leader who chose to speak first, after swallowing thickly and taking a long look at her teammates.

"We don't blame you, sir. It was our fault for thinking we were ready for something like this." Weiss and Yang nodded in agreement as she continued. "So please, don't blame yourself, the important thing is that we made it out with our lives. If anything, this has only made us stronger as a team, and wiser as individuals."

Ozpin smiled. "Spoken like a true huntress. I thank you four for your understanding and forgivene-" He was cut off by Qrow tackling Ruby into a bear hug and exclaiming once more how proud he is to have her as a niece, prompting an eruption of giggles from Yang and an eyeroll from Weiss.

The solemn atmosphere dispelled, Ozpin spoke now directly to Blake while her friends were temporarily distracted. "I suppose the injury to your leg will put somewhat of a dent in your extra training sessions. You must work hard to get yourself in fighting shape once more."

The Faunus cocked an eyebrow. " _Extra_  training?"

"For the upcoming tournament of course. You haven't forgotten about the Vytal Festival have you?" Ozpin now spoke to the team as a whole, and the amusement in his voice was undeniable.

Blake turned to face the rest of her team, and found they had frozen comically in place at Ozpin's words. Ruby was struggling to free herself from Qrow, Yang seemed to be in the midst of ruffling her sister's hair, Weiss was looking on with her usual exasperated expression.

The look they shot each other was more than enough to answer Ozpin's question.

* * *

In truth, Ozpin could hardly blame the girls for their lapse in memory.

After the Breach and Torchwick's arrest, there had been no respite for team RWBY as they'd immediately been thrust into situations beyond their control, whether it be risk or romance – Blake would, of course, argue that they are one and the same. As such, as the festival had approached and the sense of anticipation and excitement had grown amongst the student body, it had gone largely unnoticed by the four girls. And of course, the horrific incident at the docks had done nothing to help in this case, and had only served to force them farther down the rabbit hole.

"Are you guys serious? You actually  _forgot_ about the festival?" Jaune demanded in disbelief.

Teams RWBY and JNPR were currently occupying several tables in the library, and – much to the dismay of Ren – seemed to be far more interested in discussing the upcoming tournament than studying.

"Ugh, come on Jaune, you don't have to rub it in." Ruby sat with her head in her hands, still reeling from the news.

"Yeah Jaune, it's not their fault that they're big dummies." Nora giggled. "You guys will just have to train  _super hard_." Nora leapt onto the table and pointed maliciously at team RWBY.

"But never fear, Nora Valkyriecan help you with that! PREPARE YOUR BUTTS FOR PAIN LIKE YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED! SOME OF YOU MAY NOT SURVIVE!" She was cackling loudly at this point, and heads were beginning to turn in their direction.

"Nora, please stop standing on my notes." Ren spoke without even looking up from the textbook he had lain on the table, though it was now mostly obscured by a pink and white boot.

"Oop, sorry Ren!" Nora laughed as she bounced back into her seat. "But seriously, you guys had better get your butts going if you want to beat us." Nora's eyes flashed mischievously.

Yang grinned fiercely over at their friends. "Hah! As if you chumps could  _ever_ beat us in a fight."

Pyrrha, who had been silently studying up until this point, looked up from her notes. "I don't know, technically we do have the advantage in numbers now that Blake is unable to participate."

"That sure sounds like a challenge to me." The grin on Yang's face had widened as she eyed the girl across from her.

Despite her normally kind and thoughtful demeanour, Pyrrha Nikos was fiercely competitive, and had several major tournament trophies to her name.

"Uhh, guys?" Ruby had spoken up from the far end of the table. "Maybe we should concentrate on training, and in Blake's case healing, rather than fighting each other?"

Weiss nodded her agreement, clearly unimpressed by this display of bravado. "Ruby's right, focus on what matters most right now."

Ruby showed her appreciation by planting a swift kiss on Weiss's cheek, causing the heiress to blush and return to her studying.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you say so. But..." She pointed at Pyrrha. "If we meet you guys in the tournament, you can bet that I won't be holding back!"

The hedhead responded with a smirk. "Nor will I, rest assured."

Blake could only shake her head in amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly just SOL type things in there, nothing too earth-shattering. What did you think?


End file.
